


A Decade in the Making

by Airla



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alpha Derek, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe, BAMF Stiles, Mates, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Multi, Omega Stiles Stilinski, Omega Verse, Rimming, Self-Lubrication, mentions of mpreg
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-04-06
Updated: 2014-07-07
Packaged: 2017-12-07 14:42:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 36,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/749689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Airla/pseuds/Airla
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“All right I have news. It’s probably going to make some people upset, and I’m not sure how to say this, so I just will.” He paused, face set in a stern resolve, and said, “I’m taking a mate”</p><p>Now that Stiles is eighteen, they finally get their happily ever after. Or they would if the world wasn't conspiring against them. Cue: Vengeful hunters, an Alpha hell bent on courting Stiles, and a newly turned beta who just doesn't know when to quit. </p><p>Or the one where Derek and Stiles have known they were mates since they were kids, and they finally get together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Let's have a chat

**Author's Note:**

> Totally my first fanfic so please forgive any mistakes and feel free to point any out to me.  
> I haven't decided if i'm going to make this into a series yet, but i probably will if people like it.

Scott was laughing at funny pictures on the internet when he heard a familiar growl. He looked up to see his alpha, Derek Hale, glowering down at him. Scott sighed “what?”

Derek scowled “find Erica, Boyd, Danny, Isaac and Becca then meet peter and me in the living room in an hour.”

Scott groaned “god what now?”

“I have an announcement to make that my head betas need to be present for and Isaac has to watch Becca because she can’t control herself properly yet.” With that Derek was gone.

Scott mentally cursed he knew it was an honor to be the “first” beta of the hale pack, especially considering its size, but at that moment he didn’t feel like having to deal with some new problem.

*  
An hour later everyone was lounging on the couches, waiting for Derek to show up. “What’s this about McCall?” Danny asked looking vaguely irritated and like he had somewhere better to be.

“I don’t know man. All he said was that he had an announcement to make.” Peter snorted and Scott turned his attention to the pack advisor, “but I suspect you do.” Peter just smirked and turned the page of his book.

“Well obviously it’s important, or he wouldn’t have called us all here.” Becca said with a conceited smile. Everyone rolled their eyes because, like Derek had said, she was only there because she was having trouble controlling the shift. She had only just been bitten two weeks prior to the meeting.

“It is in fact very important, because this is going to affect everyone in this pack not just the six of you.” Derek said as he sauntered in. God Scott hated when he did that, smug bastard. Derek sat down and they sat silently for several minutes. Derek was clearly struggling to figure out how to say something.

“All right I have news. it’s probably going to make some people upset and I’m not sure how to say this so I just will.” He paused, face set in a stern resolve and said “I’m taking a mate”

For a moment no one said anything, they just stared. Then the dam broke and all hell broke loose.

Erica bounced up and down “oh my god who?”

Danny was angry, “when the hell did you decide on all this?”

Isaac looked like a kicked puppy “do I have to move out?”

Becca’s comment took the cake. “Ha I knew it, obviously he didn’t mention before because he hadn’t given me that bite yet” 

Scott snorted and Derek shot him a look. He was about to apologize when peter, who had been reading a moment ago, burst into peels of uncontrollable laughter. This caused everyone to join in, except Derek, of course, though he did look amused. “Quiet” he said sternly after a moment.

Becca looked confused more than anything “I – I don’t get it”

Peter wiped tears from his eyes “my dear girl you didn’t actually believe that The alpha of the second largest pack in North America, who has an impeccable lineage and pure blood line, would mate with a bitten beta?” Becca’s face fell, Scott almost felt sorry for her because she didn’t understand how these things worked. She wasn’t a born wolf; she didn’t know that alphas who were as affluent as Derek couldn’t mate with betas, other alphas, or low ranking omegas.

Peter however clearly didn’t feel badly and continued speaking, this time addressing everyone “no, Derek is betrothed to an omega, with equal bloodline, from the Stilinski pack” Scott gaped, because the Stilinski pack is absolutely huge and spans a large part of eastern USA.

Becca looked furious. “What?” she shrieked “you’re going to mate with some bitch, who you don’t even know, because you don’t have the balls to mate with someone you care about!” oh yeah and that is why Scott doesn’t actually feel all that badly for her.

Derek’s eyes flashed, but peter cut him off before he could speak. “watch yourself girl Derek’s intended is the youngest son of Alpha Stilinski, who just happens to lead the largest pack in north America. This Makes Stiles the most desirable mate an alpha could possibly ask for,” Peter practically spat at her. Scott could tell that her disrespect had offended Peter, but then Scott knew how powerful that pack was. “As for not knowing him, that’s hardly true considering they’ve been promised to each other since Derek was ten and stiles four.” 

That seemed to catch Boyd’s attention, “if you’ve been engaged that long, why didn’t you tell us?”

Derek sighed “it was fairly well known when I was still alpha heir before… before the fire” Scott winced, but Derek kept speaking, not allowing his feelings to show. “Besides he is only just turning eighteen tomorrow, so it hasn’t been a pressing issue like… other things.” 

Scott winced again because yeah, the death of Derek’s family five years ago and hunter troubles for years after that. Scott had become Derek’s second in command, two years after Derek became the alpha. He had fallen in love with a hunter and then been betrayed, it was Derek who had picked up the pieces. The problem hadn’t stopped until the Stilinski pack interfered and sent wolves to help them… and, “oh.” He said suddenly, “so that’s why we got help from them last year.” 

Derek nodded “not my proudest moment but yes, our packs have a bond because of our engagement.”

“So it was some sort of arranged marriage to form an alliance between the two packs?” Danny asked and they all turned to peter who chuckled 

“Actually no, but it’s a pretty good story if anyone’s interested” everyone assented and whoa was Derek blushing? “Well fourteen years ago Derek, Laura, their parents and I were visiting Alpha Stilinski and his mate. Derek was ten at the time and let me tell you that is probably the worst time for young alphas because they are just discovering their strength, they can shift and they have no control what so ever. Derek and their eldest child, and alpha heir, Jackson were playing when Jackson got mad and punched Derek in the face. This made Derek totally furious and he shifted, ready to absolutely murder that eight year old. Now you have to keep in mind how wolves normally react to alphas, even young ones, I have to tell you that most of the adults there were scared of him in that moment.” Everyone just gaped first at peter then Derek. 

Isaac looked horrified, “so you killed their kid and in return they gave you their other one?” 

Derek smiled, Derek Hale actually grinned, and chuckled. Derek made a motion for peter to continue.

“Ok, so Derek is shifted, and snarling, and five seconds away from murdering Jackson when a four year old kid walks right up to Derek puts his hand on his leg, and just like that” he snaps his fingers for dramatic effect, “ he shifts back and looks at the kid. This four year old kid who was in no way afraid of Derek, when no one else dared to even try to speak to him. He just smiles and says ‘mommy says that you shouldn’t bite Jackson just cause he’s being a meany.’” 

Erica grinned and looked at Derek “oh my god what did you do?” 

Derek laughed lightly “I said ‘okay’ he grabbed my hand and told me to look at his coloring, so I went to look at his coloring.” Once again everyone was gaping at Derek. 

“Derek stopping that shift should not have been possible. We should have had to restrain him.” 

Scott was confused now, “but how…?” 

“An alphas mate has to have equal power in the pack. The position is designed to give council; to get the alpha to be rational, so he can make informed decisions. When an omega is neither afraid of the alpha nor afraid to stand up to him it’s usually a pretty clear indication that they are true mates.” Peter thought for a moment and added, “Which are very rare.”

Becca who had been silently scowling finally lost it “but you’re not gay!” 

For the second time that night everyone laughed at her. Danny was grinning “tell me she doesn’t think straight men work out to lady gaga.” 

“Besides”, Isaac says, “a true mate means that you have like literally no choice in the matter, because that choice is all wolf.” 

Danny stopped laughing and looked at Derek “do you want to mate with him?”

Derek’s wide grin from laughing became a small sincere smile and he nodded “yeah, I do”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me what you think so far. I love feedback  
> Oh Oh Oh also suggestions!


	2. Big boys don't cry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Its Stiles' Birthday and many feels are had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all OMG all the feed back has been amazing! Thank you to everyone who has given me such wonderful encouragement!  
> I didn't actually intend for this chapter to have so many feels but i couldn't help it, they have a mind of their own.
> 
> Again sorry for any mistakes and feel free to point them out to me so i can fix them <3

The morning of his 18th birthday Stiles woke up to hair. Hair everywhere, in his face, blocking his view and best of all in his mouth. “As much as I love the taste of your strawberry blonde tresses in the morning, would you mind, oh I don’t know, getting off of me.”

The weight shifted and he was graced with the sight of a beaming Lydia “Happy Birthday dear brother!”

Stiles scowled “can you not say that? Just because you’re mated with my brother, which ew that’s disgusting, doesn’t make you my sister.”

Lydia smirked and flipped her perfect hair “don’t be ridiculous of course it does, now get up you have training with Jackson before the party.” 

“Ugg, why did I ever agree to training?” Stiles mumbled into his pillow 

“Because you and I quote, ‘don’t want to be some delicate omega that relies solely on his alpha.’” Her smirk fell “not that there is anything wrong with relying on your alpha”

“Easy for you to say no one has ever accused you of being delicate.” He got a glare for that one. “Oh come on you know what I mean! You’re terrifying and beautiful and terrifyingly beautiful. Me I’m annoying and pale and annoyingly –“

“Stiles” she snapped her fingers in front of his face, “Focus, if you don’t go now you won’t get breakfast.”

“If I don’t go now maybe I won’t have to get up at all.”

Lydia got up and made to leave before turning around, her expression sly “oh and by the way, a card arrived for you this morning”

Stiles lifted his head and gave her an uninterested look “so? It’s my birthday, a lot of people send cards,” A lot of people that he has never met who are trying to get into his father’s good graces.

“It’s from west of here.”

“Again, I ask so?”

“Oh well I thought you might be interested, but I guess Derek Hale is a common name”

Stiles was out of bed and ripping off his t-shirt before Lydia could even move. She put her hand over her mouth in feigned shock. “Omega Stilinski, I do hope you have never done that in front of anyone before.” Stiles blushed because, even though she was joking, she was right and he isn’t ever supposed to show that much skin to anyone that wasn’t his mate or direct family. 

“Lydia my darling I would only ever strip for you.” she laughed bright and clear, then left stiles to finish changing.

That law wasn’t about trying to discriminate against omegas, it was just a reality. Omegas release a lot of pheromones without trying. The pheromones only increase with the amount of skin uncovered. A mated omega has more lenience, but must be careful because their mates tend to be possessive and will fight any others that show interest.

For unmated omegas this means that they will be constantly pursued and must always be supervised. For their own safety they should never be undressed in front of other wolves because those who aren’t family won’t be able to control themselves. For family the pheromones are comforting and soothing, for potential mates it’s much more sexual.

This is one of the reasons Stiles hasn’t seen Derek in close to five years. There is another more recent law designed to protect omegas, which says that an omega must be a consenting adult before a pair can be mated. Stiles was thirteen when his first heat hit, this meant that he and Derek still had several years to go before they were legally allowed to mate. Normally seeing each other wouldn’t be to much of a problem, but there are very few wolves that would have been able to fight Derek off if he were to lose control.

Even when Derek’s family had died in a fire stiles had not been allowed to go to him. His father had said that Derek would have had even less control due to grief. 

Stiles had been so busy with his train of thought that he hadn’t been paying attention when he ran right into his brother “shit sorry.”

“Oh good your awake come one let’s go.”

“Aw come on I haven’t even eaten yet.”

Jackson raised an eyebrow as if to say ‘and I should care because?’

“And it’s my birthday.”

Jackson rolled his eyes, tossed him a granola bar and said “Happy Birthday” before walking outside.

*

When Stiles collapsed into his chair he was covered in sweat, dirt, and yep that’s blood. “You couldn’t have showered before lunch?” stiles just grunted at his father and took a large bite of his sandwich.

He swallowed and looked up “not when I’m starving and …. OH MY GOD is that a cheeseburger? What the hell are you doing with that? Does no one listen to me? Was it Jackson? I bet it was Jackson.”

“Stiles”

“I told you no trans-fats and fries too, dad you can’t have that much salt. You need to remember your cholesterol—“

“For god sakes I’m a werewolf Stiles. It’s not like I’m going to die of a heart attack.” His father practically snarled at him.

“No? Well how about a wolfsbane bullet then?” Stiles rubbed his hands over his hair, a gesture he made when he was frustrated. “It’s just that I can’t control hunters, but I can control what you eat so could you please just stop with the damn fries?”

His father looked at him with sad eyes and shit now he’d gone and upset his father, he was officially the worst son ever. “Stiles” he started but Stiles cut him off.

Stiles sighed “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to say that, I just” his voice catching in his throat “I miss her on days like this” he felt his eyes fill with tears and no, he was not going to cry. “I mean I’m getting mated in a week and I always just assumed she would be there and – I – I don’t – I can’t” he was sobbing now and then his father’s arms were around him and stiles was clutching right back.

His father ran his hands through Stiles’ hair and whispered to him, things like “I know I miss her too.” And “she would be so proud of you, just like I am.”

Stiles dragged his sleeve across his eyes and looked at his dad “I’m going to go shower because I’m kind of gross right now.”

His father’s only response was to raise an eyebrow

*

Stiles stared down at the suit with the purple bow tie and pocket square. “This feels weird.” 

Stiles looks over to where Lydia is standing, she is wearing a purple cocktail dress that rests just above her knees, black shoes and silver necklace with purple jewels. She hummed “What’s weird?”

“I think this is the last time I’m ever going to wear purple to one of these events” he wasn’t sure if that bothered him, or excited him.

“Ah yes,” she said sweetly “as a member of the hale pack you will have to start wearing red when you represent your pack.”

“I don’t understand the color thing any way,” Stiles grumbled.

“You know that it’s so everyone knows what pack you belong to, you’re a clever boy Stiles and it’s not that complicated.”

“Yeah, but there are definitely more packs than colors.”

“Think about our inter-pack structures and get back to me”

Stiles glared at her and recited in a mock studious voice, “There are nine major packs in north America, two reside in the United States, four in Canada and three in Mexico” Lydia motioned for him to continue “Each of those packs consist of several smaller packs that are aligned with them. Smaller packs show their allegiance by wearing one of the nine colors.”

Lydia smirked at him “what’s not to get here Stiles?”

“I just think that it’s stupid is all”

Lydia sat down and regarded him seriously “it’s not that you don’t understand Stiles, It’s that you don’t know how you are supposed to switch your allegiance so suddenly.”

Damn, she was as smart as she was beautiful. “I just don’t get I am supposed to go from being loyal to father and our pack, to Derek and his so quickly.” This was not the first time stiles had felt this way, it was hard not to feel so conflicted.

Lydia smiled her expression said she had known the whole time. “Loving your father and loving your mate are not mutually exclusive, the same goes for loyalty. In fact, your marriage will create a strong bond between the two packs.” Lydia always knew how to talk to stiles and in that moment he was grateful for it. Lydia took his hand in hers and continued, “This means that your father will be loyal to Derek and Derek to your father and then to Jackson, when the time comes.”

Stiles shudders “God help us the day that Jackson becomes alpha.”

Lydia laughed “he will be, you know? When your father feels he’s ready”

Stiles gave her a side glance “believe me, I know.”

*

The party was very nice, there were many guests and many presents, but the only one that stiles really cared about, was the one that had come from Derek. It had been a simple card, inside it had read: 

Stiles, I’m sorry I couldn’t be there for your birthday, but I promise I will be there in five days’ time. I hope you have a great Birthday.  
Derek  
P.S. I know I promised you a deer, but that will have to wait for when I arrive. I hope this will do for the time being. 

The card had been sent with a small box. Inside the box was a pair of deer skin gloves. They were soft, brown and smelled like Derek, stiles never wanted to take them off. Lydia, however had told him that they clashed with his suit and insisted he take them off.

“Ah Josh, here is my son, the birthday boy” stiles looked up to see his father, with another alpha. The alpha was only just taller than stiles, lean, handsome and wore a silver tie. ‘Oh good’ stiles thought ‘a Canadian’. “Stiles this is Josh Dennel, josh this is Stiles.” 

The alpha took his hand and kissed it, he actually… dude not cool. Stiles tried to gently pull his hand away, but the alpha held on. He decided to try a different tactic. “It’s very nice to meet you Alpha Dennel, will you be attending my mating ceremony?”

Josh dropped his hand and furrowed his eyebrows “mating ceremony?”

Stiles’ father perked up at that “oh yes in a weeks’ time Stiles will be getting mated to Alpha Hale. Didn’t you receive an invitation?”

The alphas eyes flashed at Derek’s name, but he had quickly let his features slide back to impassive. It was too late, stiles had seen his reaction and was about to ask him what his problem was, when Josh spoke again. “Yes, I believe I shall stick around.” Stiles didn’t trust the look that the alpha was giving him “that is if I am welcome to do so.”

“Of course” his father replied easily, “come on Stiles I believe it’s time for cake.” 

Stiles figured it would probably be a good idea to call Derek, he was about to mention this to his dad when his father said “I know son I’ll call him after the party, he’s not going to be pleased.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I know just when you all thought Becca was going to be the problem (and don't worry she will get her time to shine) iv'e gone and added another character. Who is ready for some Possesive! Derek? 
> 
> Please leave feedback!


	3. Sass Master Peter strikes again.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek gets a call and Becca and Peter argue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I originally had this chapter as part of a much bigger chapter, but decided to give it to you as an interlude while i edit the next chapter.  
> (don't worry ill post the rest tonight.)  
> As always please inform me of any mistakes that i have made :)  
> <3

Derek Hale was not pleased. Some might even call him angry, very angry. He had been the middle of fighting with Isaac, over whatever stupid thing Becca had done recently, when his phone rang. He answered it and signaled for Isaac to wait. “What?” he snapped.

“Derek?”

“Stiles?” Derek said, totally taken aback. It had been a while since their last phone conversation and he couldn’t deny the easy calm that washed over him when he heard Stiles’ voice.

“Yeah, so I have news…” and there goes the calm.

Derek sighed heavily “that doesn’t sound good.”

“It might not be a huge deal, but” there was a long pause on the other end. “There’s an alpha here.”

At that point Derek was just confused, “You’re going to have to elaborate.”

“He’s one of the nine.”

“Shit.”

“Yeah, he kind of got mad when I mentioned you.”

“Why did you mention me?”

“Um, to tell him, not so subtly, that I was taken.” 

Derek felt his fangs elongate and his words came out slightly garbled “he was trying to hit on you?”

“Yeah, but he backed off when I told him about next week.”

This didn’t make him feel better. “There is no way that one of the nine doesn’t know about a fourteen year old engagement, especially one that will bond two of the largest packs.”

“Yeah, I thought that was weird too, his eyes flashed when I said your name.”

 

“Which Pack?”

“Dennel and seriously, how did you manage to piss off the Canadians?”

Now Derek was confused, the Dennel alpha was a happily mated, sixty year old man. “You’re telling me, that Sean tried to proposition you?” he asked doubtfully.

“Who the hell’s Sean? I was talking to Josh.”

Derek ground his teeth together. He had met Josh once when they were children. He hated Josh. “Josh is alpha heir” 

“Nope, he’s full blown alpha.”

“Double shit,” this did not bode well. If Sean died or handed over the title, Derek should have heard about it, they all should have. “Is he still there?”

 

“Yes, he wants to stay for the ceremony,” Derek snorts because, yeah right. 

“Has he spoken to you since you had this conversation?” 

“Don’t be ridiculous, I can barely be around regular wolves. Dad won’t let him near me without himself and probably Jackson present” 

Derek growled again “I don’t care who is with you, don’t go in the same room with him until I get there, do you understand?”

“Derek…” Stiles’ tone had a hint of warning in it. Derek knew he didn’t like being told what to do. 

“I’m serious Stiles, I don’t trust him. I’m going to leave as soon as possible and I’ll probably be there by tomorrow. Can I speak to your father?”

“He isn’t here right now.”

“Fine give the phone to Jackson and don’t try to tell me isn’t there.”

“Derek” there was that warning again. 

“Stiles, just give him the damn phone”

“Fine, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow”

Derek didn’t want Stiles to be angry at him, so he said the first thing that came to mind. “Happy Birthday Stiles.”  
*

Originally, Derek had planned to take Erica, Boyd and Scott. He would leave behind Peter and Isaac to make sure that nothing would happen while he was away. That plan, however, flew out the window when he had to leave the very next day.

Boyd couldn’t get the time off of work and Erica had to watch her siblings. As a result, Derek had to take Peter, Scott and Isaac. Which wouldn’t even be a problem where it not for Becca’s presence. Derek sighed heavily and looked over to where Peter and Becca bickering in the back seat of the taxi.

“But why do I have to wear red?” Becca whined.

“I’ve already explained it to you and I won’t do it again” Peter said, obviously exasperated.

“I look terrible in red.” 

Peter smirked at her “trust me, I know.” Becca’s eyes flashed and Peter’s smirk grew. “Tsk tsk my dear girl, you can’t go shifting every time someone mentions that you look like a lobster in red, or that your perfume smells similar to their late grandmother’s.”

Becca gasped and Derek saw her teeth beginning to lengthen. He flashed his eyes at her to get her under control. Peter went back to reading his book, seemingly unimpressed by Derek’s display.

“Both of you need to behave, we’re going to be there in few minutes and I won’t have that other alpha sense weakness in my pack.” Isaac and Scott both pointedly looked at Becca who started to speak when Derek cut her off “Look, I have extracted a promise from Jackson, saying that he won’t let Alpha Dennel in a room with Stiles.”

Isaac looked curious, “alone?” 

Derek shook his head “at all, he is already likely to challenge me for Stiles. I don’t want him trying to claim Stiles when I’m not there to protect him” even though it was against the law, it certainly was not unheard of. 

“Oh my god, what is so special about this guy that makes everyone want to mate with him.” Becca said crossing her arms.

“Well Power for one thing.” Scott answered which surprised Derek because he had no idea Scott paid that much attention to pack dynamics. 

“What?” Becca sneered.

“Well when an alpha and an omega mate, both become stronger. Most importantly their presence provides an anchor that gives them total mastery over the shift.” Scott educated her, “not to mention the power gained from aligning to major packs.” 

Becca glowered, but Isaac added, “or maybe he was just interested in him, omega pheromones can be a pretty heady thing.”

“Yes, it’s incredible what scents can do when they don’t remind you of dead relatives.” Peter said without looking up from his book.   
Eliciting a growl from Becca, but before she could reply Derek saw Isaac perk up, “I think we’re here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will Finish editing the rest of the chapter and get it posted tonight.   
> Included in the next chapter   
> \- Stiles and Derek see each other again  
> \- Becca is a massive Bitch   
> \- And there will be blood  
> <3 Airla


	4. Dance of dominance.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles and Derek See each other for the first time in years  
> Becca VS Lydia round one  
> There will be blood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok wow first things first, you guys have been so incredible. I never dreamed people would like this fic that much and everyone has such kind words to say i love you all!  
> I was reading comments while editing this chapter and I have to say you guys were reading my mind!
> 
> Also plot happened so yeah... 
> 
> This was a long one and I only had a chance to go over it a couple times so please inform me of any mistakes <3

 

Scott was trying to take in the grand sitting room, but he was having troubles. The Hale pack had money, a lot of it, but not quite like this. He was so busy gaping he missed Isaacs question. “sorry what?”

 

“I asked who that is.” He nodded his head toward the young man about Derek’s age. He was tall, blonde and exuded an air of authority. The man in question noticed them and walked over, no not walked sauntered. He knew that saunter. This guy walked just like Derek. As if on cue, Derek moved towards the blonde man and gave him a large hug, that was returned full heartedly.

 

Derek slung his arm over the blonde guy’s shoulder and made his way back to Scott. “Guys this is Jackson, Jackson this is Isaac, Scott and Becca” They exchanged pleasantries and Jackson shook Peters hand obviously having remembered him.

 

“Oh you’re the guy that punched Derek in the face, awesome.” Leave it to Isaac to say what they were all thinking.

 

Jackson sneered at Derek, “come on man I was eight let it go.” Derek just chuckled

 

“I was kind of under the impression that had been the only time you guys had ever really met, but now I’m thinking otherwise.” Isaac shifted awkwardly on his feet.

 

Jackson laughed “no, actually Derek and I trained together for three years”

 

“Yeah” Derek added “I actually lived here for that time.” Scott understood why they had the same walk. Jackson and Derek were trained together, which meant that they were used to moving in the same way.

 

“Why did you leave?” Oh no, bad territory why did he say that.

 

Surprisingly it was Jackson that answered “meh he was nineteen, probably ready to leave anyway, but he was forced to leave when my brother went into his first heat.” What he didn’t say is ‘His pack was having hunter problems that resulted in his family being burned alive a month after he left.’

 

“Speaking of your brother” Derek said mildly “where is he? Also where is your father” Derek was acting nonchalant, but Scott could practically feel the anticipation vibrating off of Derek.

 

“He’s with my mate, having a fight about clothing no doubt. As for my father he is currently occupying our ‘guest’” Derek nodded seemingly satisfied.

 

“Has he made a move yet?” Derek asked

 

“Considering I haven’t allowed him to be within fifty feet of stiles, I’m going to say no”

 

Derek had opened his mouth to speak when the door to the sitting room opened and two alphas walked in. One was fairly young not much older than Derek. The only word Scott could use to describe him was arrogant. He had a large smile plastered across his face, but it was far from reassuring. Next to him stood a middle aged man, whose demeanour wasn’t arrogant, but none the less Scott could feel power rolling off of him in waves. This man had to be Alpha Stilinski.

 

As soon as he noticed Derek, he walked right up to him and threw his arms around him. Scott could see the other alpha clenching his jaw from where he stood. More introductions were made and everyone had settled down when he heard the door open again.

 

The first thing Scott noticed was the smell. There were two distinct scents. One was flowery with a hint of citrus and it was mixed with the scent Scott knew to be Jackson’s. Jackson’s mate’s scent was controlled and tamed, the other scent was not.

 

Scott knew that unclaimed omegas where supposed to smell enticing, but he had no idea it would make him want to bring the guy rabbits and curl up next to him. Scott wanted to please the omega, not have sex with him. The scent that Scott assumed had to be Stiles’ was like the forest after rain, earthy and damp and wonderful.

 

He was so caught up in the scent it took him a minute to actually look over to the door. In the doorway stood the two omegas, the girl, Jackson’s mate, had red curls that fell past her shoulders and she wore a pair of slim fitting jeans coupled with a purple blouse.

 

The guy, stiles, was pale with moles and brown hair and the biggest amber eyes Scott had ever seen. He was dressed in jeans and sneakers with a red sweater. Something about the colour on stiles made Scott’s wolf very pleased and judging by the deep rumble coming from Derek he was guessing Derek agreed.

 

Lydia moved to stand beside Jackson who placed a hand on the small of her back protectively. When Scott turned, Derek was already walking towards stiles and the room fell completely silent. When he reached Stiles everyone was watching. Derek stood a foot apart from stiles, the two of them staring at each other and never breaking eye contact. After a moment stiles tilts his head back exposing his neck to Derek who looked immensely pleased before leaning in and nuzzling Stiles, scent marking him. All at once the people in the hall began chattering excitedly.

 

“Oh for god sakes” Becca spat “so he bared his neck, so what? I do that all the time.” Next to them peter chuckled.

 

“I can promise you, that in his life he has never once bared his neck to anyone that isn’t his father. Besides it isn’t a sign of submission, so much as a sign of loyalty. He is establishing himself as Derek’s.”

 

Becca scowled at peter, “What the hell is the difference?”

 

Peter lifted an eyebrow. “He does it out of respect. You do it because you don’t have a tail to put between your legs.”

 

Isaac nudged Scott and tilted his head to the pissed off alpha that was clenching and unclenching his fists. “I’m guessing that’s the guy.”

 

Scott nodded and turned his attention back to Derek and stiles, just in time to see Derek pull back from where he was nuzzling stiles to… “Oh my god did he just bare his throat?” as far as Scott knew alphas never submitted to anyone.

 

“I told you it wasn’t about submission.” Peter said smugly “They are too closely matched to ever submit to each other.” 

 

“Yeah, but he would submit if Derek threatened him.” Becca sniped.

 

Peter snorted “I wouldn’t be too sure about that, they would be more likely to get into a fight than to submit and Derek wouldn’t be dumb enough to get into a fight with stiles.”

 

“You act as though he could possibly beat Derek in a fight.”

 

“That is exactly what I am saying, dear girl you really are slow.” Becca scowled at him. “Alpha/Omega mates are generally every bit as strong as each other, but where the alpha relies on brute force and innate strength, the omega is agile and very fast.”

 

“Why in the world would an omega be strong? Aren’t they just meant to be like, the mothers of the pack or something?” Becca said with venom in her voice

 

“Tell me, have you ever tried to take a cub from it’s mother.” Peter said simply and it seemed Becca had said all she felt she needed to say.

 

Scott focused his attention on Derek and his future mate. Derek had his hand cupping the back of stiles’ head, their foreheads pressed together and they were speaking in a low whisper. No one seemed to be able to hear what they were saying. Derek rubbed his cheek across Stiles’ one last time and turned around to face Stiles’ father.

 

This prompted the older alpha to announce “we will be having dinner in a few minutes and at moonrise we shall have hunt to celebrate Alpha Hale’s arrival.” This seemed to irk the other alpha even more. Scott was guessing he hadn’t gotten a hunt in his honour.

 

*Derek

 

The last time Derek had seen Stiles he had been a boy. The Stiles staring at him now was a man. Everything about him was beautiful from the moles on his collarbone to his perfect eyes. Derek knew one thing for sure; this man was made for him. Stiles’ scent was intoxicating and singlehandedly the best thing Derek had ever smelled, but it didn’t smell complete. _I can fix that_ his wolf thought and yeah, he really could.

 

Stiles seemed to catch his line of thought and tilted his head back revealing his perfectly unmarked throat. Derek was pretty sure he could fix that too. He leaned in and nuzzled Stiles, trying to get as much of his scent on him that he could. _Mine_ his wolf practically howled. He wanted to run around the room and throw things and beat his chest and scream _this man_ _is mine!_   He settled for letting a low rumble build in his chest, to show his mate how pleased he was.

 

He moved away and stiles whined, high and in the back of his throat. Derek just chuckled and let stiles scent mark him in return. Stiles’ scent was more complete now, but something still wasn’t quite right. He sniffed the air and had he had his answer. “Why can I smell him on you?” Derek growled at him.

 

Stiles scrunched up his nose and frowned after a moment he said “Oh, because he kissed my hand yesterday.”

 

Derek felt his hackles go up “he marked you?” he snarled, didn’t everyone know Stiles was his, his god dammit! He was about to lose it, so he placed his hand on the back of Stiles’ head and brought their foreheads together. He breathed deeply synchronizing his breath with stiles’.

 

“You look good in red.” Derek said with a smirk, when he had seen Stiles wearing his pack’s color he hadn’t been able to help the swell of pride and his, well –yeah.

 

Stiles blushed and Derek grinned, he knew the silence wouldn’t last and it hadn’t. All throughout dinner Stiles had filled him in on everything that he had missed since they last saw each other. Derek couldn’t be happier.

 

*Stiles

 

Dinner went well and stiles had, had a chance to talk to Derek’s betas and catch up with Peter, who he hadn’t seen in several years. He could tell that Isaac was going to be his cuddly puppy and that Scott would be a good friend. Becca, on the other hand, posed a problem. Her obvious disdain for stiles combined with the scent of arousal around Derek gave him a pretty clear indication of what he was up against. _Let the bitch try_ his wolf said, _let her feel my fangs closing on her throat_. Nothing and no one was going to take Derek Hale away from him.

 

After dinner the alphas and their betas had gone out for the hunt. He and Lydia were sitting out on the patio waiting for their return.

 

“Pretty sure the last time I saw him he wasn’t that ripped.” Lydia said taking a sip of her lemonade.

 

She was referring to Derek of course and now he was thinking of the wall of solid muscle that was his future mate. He let out a dreamy sigh for his benefit just as much as hers. “Well I guess he worked out a lot in the past five years.” He replied lightly then added “it could be worse, the last time he saw me I was still a child.”

 

“That’s true, must have been one hell of a shock seeing you after all these years. No offence, but you were an awkward looking kid.”

 

“I would get mad at you” he sighed, “but it’s true.” He toasted Lydia before taking a drink of his own lemonade.

 

“Why aren’t you at the hunt?” Stiles looked up and… oh good his new favorite person.

 

“We’re omegas” Lydia answered Becca, so he wouldn’t have to. He loved Lydia, he really did.

 

“Is that supposed to mean something to me? What you’re too good for hunting?” Becca said icily

 

“It’s tradition” Lydia said with a longsuffering sigh, “we don’t want to ruin the fun.” Lydia replied

 

“I thought mates hunted together what’s the matter can’t keep up?” Lydia sat up and gave her a look that said ‘you should stop doing that because clearly it’s too difficult for you’.

 

Stiles could tell Becca was ruffling her feathers, but he doubted anyone else would be able to. “They do when they are betas; they go out and hunt together, kill together and enjoy that part together.” Lydia was speaking to her as if she were a particularly dense child. “However, it’s an instinct to want to bring game back for your alphas mate. As a result, it has become tradition for omegas to stay behind, so that the pack members can bring them ‘presents’.”

 

“So you sit here and wait for the others to bring you food on a silver platter.” Becca said petulantly

 

“Yes,” Lydia snapped “We do. And why are you still here? No wait let me guess. You’re too out of control to handle yourself on the hunt.” Becca scowled, Lydia continued “my advice to you is to listen to your wolf more. Our laws and traditions are based off of our instincts. If your wolf tells you not to do something, listen to it. That, or end up with _your head_ on a silver platter.”

 

Becca was about to respond when the first of the werewolves came out from the woods. These were his father’s betas, each of them walked over to himself and Lydia to deliver their gifts. Most of the kills went to Lydia. Stiles suspected this was because Derek’s betas were probably bringing his. Just then a half shifted Scott came bounding out of the woods, walked right up to him and laid a rabbit down at his feet. He thanked Scott, hugged him and let Scott scent mark him. By the end of the night, Stiles was sure, he would smell like Hale pack. Isaac gave him a couple of squirrels and peter, who had come back in human form, had handed him a turkey.

 

Stiles was impressed, they hadn’t been out long and it wasn’t a full moon. This meant that usually the game wasn’t this abundant. He was feeling smug and by the way Lydia was looking at him, stiles guessed that she could tell.

 

He was having a conversation with peter about different ways to cook a turkey when his brother and father got back, both in full wolf form. Jackson was dragging a doe over to Lydia who was smiling brightly. His father had simply put his own game in a pile by the door.

 

When Stiles was twelve and Derek was still living at his house, he had once asked Derek why he had never brought him a deer. Derek had responded by saying that “a deer has a lot of meat on it and we don’t ever like wasting their meat or hide.” Stiles had been discouraged until Derek had added “I will bring you a deer, when I know that you can use it.” After Derek went home, Stiles spent weeks learning how to prepare and cook a deer then to tan it’s hide.

 

This was the reason stiles was excited to see a large brown wolf with a doe between it’s teeth. The excitement was short lived because stiles immediately realised the wolf in front of him was not his mate. When the wolf dropped the doe at his feet, Stiles panicked. He had no idea what to do, he was about to reject the deer when a loud growl came from the forest.

 

Everyone went still the only movement was a large Black figure looming just behind the tree line. Stiles could smell the fear around him, but he wasn’t worried; he knew that scent. Derek stalked out into the yard. He was in wolf form just like the other alphas the only difference being that Derek was substantially larger than the others.

 

Derek’s wolf was huge, dark as the night and easily the most intimidating creature stiles had ever seen. Derek sat there for a moment, head up and chest out, looking at stiles before turning around and dragging… a stag. He was dragging a fully grown male deer across stiles’ backyard and then placing it down next to stiles’ pile of game.

 

Stiles inhaled shakily, he was pretty sure this kind of thing wasn’t supposed to turn people on. Try telling that to his wolf. At that moment, his wolf wanted nothing more than to present himself to Derek ass in the air. Apparently he wasn’t subtle about his excitement. Several of the beta’s were whining and Derek was looming over him when he heard a growl to his right.

 

Stiles turned in time to see Jackson tackling josh, who had apparently, been rushing towards stiles. It was a pile of fur, snapping teeth and constant struggling until Derek let out a terrifying roar. Jackson immediately backed off of Josh. Derek’s message had been clear, this was his fight.

 

Derek stalked over to where Josh was snarling at him they began to circle each other, waiting to see who would break first. Josh lunged at Derek, but he moved in time to dodge the full force of the attack. He managed to take the smaller wolf’s claws in his flank rather than his chest. Derek bit at his legs and at his shoulder and the two of them went at it for what felt like hours, but in reality was probably only minutes. Stiles could do nothing, it was not his place to interfere, Josh had challenged Derek by bringing Stiles that deer and the alpha had just tried to attack him.

 

This was a fight between the two of them. A fight to prove which wolf was more worthy to be Stiles’ mate. Stiles couldn’t even look away, because if he did people might question his loyalty. His only choice was to watch as Derek quickly took control of the fight. In an incredible show of strength, Derek had thrown Josh off of him. Quickly jumping back onto him, pinning him with the full force of his weight jaws locked around Dennel’s throat.

 

Josh went lax in Derek’s hold, so Derek let him go. They were all waiting for the show off submission that was mandatory. Derek had won and it was josh’s place to roll over and show his belly. Except that he didn’t, he turned around and ran. Everyone was too dumbfounded to follow him into the woods. The alphas shifted back and were given clothes to change into. Stiles had purposefully avoided looking at Derek, deciding that causing one fight was enough for the night.

 

Jackson was the first to find his voice “Did he seriously just run?” he asked incredulously.

 

“Like a dog” one of his father’s betas spat.

 

“He has absolutely no control over his wolf,” Derek stated “and that is a very bad sign.” It was only then that stiles saw how badly he was hurt.

 

Stile’s rushed over to him “Oh my god Derek are you ok?”

 

Derek nodded his head “nothing that I can’t heal.” He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Scott holding a wash cloth and bowl containing soapy water. Stiles beamed at him and forced Derek to sit as he started cleaning his wounds.

 

“John” Derek said to get his father’s attention. When he had it, he continued. “Did Sean die?”

 

His father scrunched his nose in concentration. “If he did, then I didn’t hear about it and that seems unlikely.”

 

Derek nodded his head in agreement and the then winced. Stiles looked at his neck only to realise that one of the scratches on his neck was much deeper than he had first thought. “Shit don’t move idiot.” He scolded.

 

“I’m telling you, he fought like a low ranking beta, he had no control. There is no way Sean would have handed the pack over to him if he hadn’t been properly trained.” His father nodded his head.

 

“Are we sure he’s full alpha.” Stiles asked, because it wasn’t always clear. Alpha heirs could shift to full wolf and they had red eyes just like regular alphas, the only difference was that an alpha had the full force of power that came from the pack. Alpha heirs were like an unpowered chainsaws, still painful to be cut with, but much more effective with a power source.

 

“No he definitely has a pack. Wait, now that you mention it, he wasn’t anywhere near a strong as he should be with a pack the size of the Dennel’s.” Derek hissed out a breath when stiles touched one of his ribs, stiles nuzzled Derek’s hair in apology. Derek’s low rumble let him know he was forgiven.

 

“Ok” his dad said after a moment. “That means that either, Josh Dennel left his father’s pack and found his own, or that” he said indicating the woods “isn’t Josh Dennel.” Everyone was silent while they let that sink in.

 

Jackson broke the silence “what I want to know is, when in the hell you got that strong? You threw him fifteen feet.”

 

“It’s Stiles.” Peter said as though it was obvious.

 

Stiles spluttered “I’m sorry, what?”

 

Peter smiled at him as though he were stupid. “Just being in your presence after five years apart, has made him that much stronger. I’m sure the same could be said for you.” Stiles gaped at him, he couldn’t be serious. “And” he added “I’m absolutely certain that you will only continue to get stronger after your mating.”

 

Stiles’ dad didn’t look convinced “it is completely normal for an increase in strength when an alpha and an omega mate.”

 

Peter snorted, “Has anyone here even heard of a pair of true mates apart from these two?” he indicated stiles and Derek. “I mean come on, that’s old magic”

 

His father nodded “The last pair I ever heard about died like, sixty years ago.”

 

Jackson looked confused “what does that mean?”

 

For the first time that night peters expression turned serious. “It means that they are both going to become incredibly powerful werewolves.”

 

And then Stiles understood Peter’s grim face. “It also means that we will be incredibly vulnerable”

 

Peter nodded solemnly “what?” Jackson asked obviously confused.

 

 Peter looked at Jackson “they both have one very large and glaring weakness.”

 

Derek looked at stiles then back at Peter “each other,” peter nodded again.

 

This was clearly not Stiles’ day.

    

    

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so eveyone knows I won't be able to update as quickly as i have been. I will try to put out smaller chapters more often. Expect one once every few days.
> 
> Also to give you fair warning I left the rating as unrated so that i could change it if i wanted to (wink wink) 
> 
> I adore all your comments <3 Airla 
> 
> Tumblr: http://pack-instinct.tumblr.com/


	5. Your hand in mine.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Training and First kisses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thank you all so much for your wonderful comments. They are all incredibly motivating :)
> 
> As always please point out any mistakes that I have made.

This was torture, Stiles was sure of it. He wasn’t sure what he had done in a past life to deserve such a cruel punishment.  

 

Stiles was supposed to be sparring with Jackson, but kept getting distracted by a shirtless Derek Hale. The man in question was fighting both Scott and Isaac and apparently his shirt had only gotten in the way. Stiles was enjoying the way Derek’s muscles were bunching in his back, when he landed on his ass for the third time in a row.

 

“For the love of God Stiles, pay attention.” Jackson barked at him.

 

“It’s hard to focus when I’m getting assaulted by alpha pheromones. Besides I’m bored of sparring with you it’s the same thing every time.” Stiles replied getting up again.

 

Jackson sneered “fine. Does anyone else want to fight Stiles? Oh and Hale” he glared at Derek “do us all a favor and put your fucking shirt back on.” Derek flipped Jackson off before going over to the porch and sitting down, sliding his wife beater back on.

 

Becca stood up from where she had been watching “I will” she stated and everyone immediately protested, but stiles lifted a hand to stop them.

 

“No.” stiles said smirking “I’m tired of everyone going easy one me all the time. I’m not going to break, so bring it on.” Stiles knew this would be the best way to establish dominance with her. The bitch had been slobbering for a fight since she had gotten there. Stiles intended to give her one.

 

She rushed toward stiles already shifted, her claws raised to slash at his face. He waited until the last moment and then stepped to the side causing her to barrel forward into a tree. She rushed him again, and again stiles side stepped, this time sticking his foot out. She hit the ground hard, moving to get up only to have stiles push her back down. Stiles intended to stay completely human for this fight, he knew how much it would humiliate her and his wolf reveled in it.

 

Stiles allowed her to get up and they repeated the pattern several times; Rush, dodge, rush, dodge. He had to resist the urge to say _you mad bro?_  Instead settling for “They say insanity is doing the same things over and over again and expecting different results; you might consider a new tactic.” She snarled and leapt at him, again he side stepped this time lifting his arm and literally batting her out of the air. Stiles was done playing with her, he walked over to where she was sprawled out on the grass and he knelt down, leaned in close and placed his forearm over her windpipe, cutting off air flow.

 

“I am many things, pup, but I am not stupid. Think about who you are messing with before doing anything foolish.” He snarled at her before getting up and leaving her lying on the ground gasping for breath.

 

He made his way over to where everyone had been watching them. Jackson clapped him on the back, the others praising his speed and control. Derek hadn’t said anything, but when Stiles turned to look at him he noticed how heavy lidded his eyes were and his pupils blown wide with lust. His wolf preened, _Ha! Mate wants us. The bitch can’t have him, he’s ours._

*

 

Despite the fact that Derek had come five days early, Stiles still hadn’t seen much of him. The worry was that prolonged exposure to the alpha would trigger his heat. So when his father suggested that they should all go to a movie, He had quickly agreed. He knew that he and Derek weren’t going to get time alone together, so he was planning to take what he could get.

 

That was how Stiles ended up in a movie theatre, watching a bad action movie with cheesy explosions, trying to work up the courage to hold Derek’s hand.  He didn’t understand what the problem was; he was getting married to the guy the next day.

 

Oh god, Stiles was getting married and he hadn’t even kissed the guy yet. He had never kissed anyone before, practically his entire life he had been betrothed to Derek and he had still been a child, when they last saw each other. If they were getting married, surely that meant that they were going to have sex. What if he wasn’t any good at it? What if Derek didn’t like how he looked naked? No one except his family had ever even seen him without a shirt; he was so scrawny, he couldn’t imagine how Derek could possibly find that attractive. He was starting to panic, his heartbeat was almost deafening.

 

He was worried he was going to have a panic attack when he felt Derek’s hand slip into his. When Stiles turned to look at him, he looked concerned and whispered “what’s wrong?” Stiles just shook his head and relaxed. Just Derek’s hand in his was enough to calm him down. Derek didn’t look convinced, but simply lifted their hands to his mouth and pressed a kiss to the back of Stiles’ hand.

 

For the rest of the movie Derek was either holding Stiles’ hand or wrapping an arm around his shoulder. Stiles couldn’t put into words just how safe he felt when Derek had his arms around him. He couldn’t wait for a time when he would be able to lie wrapped in Derek’s arms, or Derek in his.

 

*

 

After they got home Derek walked Stiles back to his bedroom, their hands intertwined. This was the first time the two of them had been alone since Derek’s arrival. Derek had been silent until they reached his door. “What had you so freaked out at the theatre?” Derek asked without preamble.   

 

Stiles shook his head, “nothing.”

 

“Stiles…”

 

“You’ll think I’m stupid.”

 

“No I won’t.” Derek replied

 

“I was just thinking about how we are getting mated tomorrow and we haven’t even kissed.” He mumbled staring at his shoes. “I don’t know what I’m doing and I didn’t want to disappoint you.”

 

Derek laughed, “did you ever stop to think?” he asked “that I’ve never kissed anyone either.”

 

It made sense really, Derek had only been ten when they met, but that meant… “You’ve actually never kissed someone else?”

 

Derek scowled, “how can you even ask me that?”

 

Stiles winced “It’s not – I didn’t mean” he sighed “it’s just, look at you. It’s hard to imagine people haven’t been throwing themselves at you”

 

Derek sighed and said “I haven’t, and it doesn’t matter any way because there is nothing you could do that would disappoint me.” He smiled slyly his voice dropping, deep and seductive “and as for never having kissed,” Derek leaned and lightly cupped his jaw and then there was a warm, wet pressure against his mouth. Stiles moaned and when he felt Derek’s tongue run along his bottom lip, he opened his mouth letting Derek deepen the kiss. He reached up and thread his fingers through Derek’s hair. They kissed long and languidly and it was possibly the best thing Stiles has ever done.

 

They broke apart when they heard someone clearing their throat behind them. When Stiles turned, his father was smirking “it’s getting late, you should probably be heading to bed now” he gave Derek a pointed look before heading off in the direction of his own bedroom.

 

Derek chuckled and leaned in pressing a chaste kiss to his lips before murmuring, “good night” and leaving stiles alone and breathless, and painfully hard.

 

This was torture, Stiles was sure of it. He wasn’t sure what he had done in a past life to deserve such a cruel punishment.  

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was for everyone that wanted to see Becca get knocked on her ass :D 
> 
> Please leave feedback I adore all of your wonderful comments!


	6. A Sacred Bond

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mating ceremony!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh God i'm sorry it took so freaking long to update this. 
> 
> I must have re-written this like six times and i'm still not sure how i feel about it. Not to mention i'm in the middle of finals. 
> 
> enjoy and please inform me of any mistakes.

 

Stiles couldn’t believe that this was actually happening. His entire life he had dreamed about the moment that he would be mated to Derek Hale and right then he was about five seconds away from doing just that.

 

Alphas are always mated on a full moon and that night there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. The clearing behind his house was bathed in moonlight and he could feel the energy under his skin thrumming through him, begging to be let out. He took a deep breath and focused on Derek, his scent and the warmth radiating off of him. Stiles immediately felt more grounded, it had been years since his anchor had been so close to him on a full moon; in the years past, he had struggled to stay in control without him.

 

They were kneeling across from each other, barely a half a foot apart. Surrounding them in a circle was his family, Peter, and Derek’s betas. He was very grateful that Becca had to be locked up that night; he didn’t want anything spoiling this moment.

 

He knew that they were waiting for the moon to be at its highest point in the sky and his wolf told him that he didn’t have long to wait. His father’s shaman, Deaton, was arranging three items: an ornate knife, a goblet filled with wine and a red silk ribbon. He knew what each item was for and he had to wonder why werewolf traditions were so strange.

 

Deaton lifted his head and examined the sky, “let us begin” he said addressing Stiles and Derek.  “Stiles hold out your hand.”

  
Stiles did as he was asked and held up his hand palm up. Deaton took the knife and made a thin, clean cut on his palm. The wound healed immediately and Deaton moved toward the goblet, letting drops of blood fall into the wine. He then repeated the process with Derek.

 

When Stiles was handed the goblet he lifted it to Derek’s mouth and Derek took a drink. Derek took the goblet from him and he too drank from it. He couldn’t actually taste any blood and he wasn’t sure how he felt about that. His father had once told him that originally wine hadn’t been used at all and they simply used a lot of blood.

 

When Deaton took the goblet away, Stiles and Derek locked eyes. They both knew what came next. Stiles lifted his arm first, holding it as if he were challenging Derek to arm wrestle. Derek lifted his in the same fashion and they crossed them at the wrist.

 

Deaton came over and tied the red ribbon around their wrists where they were joined. While he did this he spoke, “the moment you complete this bond, you will both be inextricably tied together. You will always be able to sense one another; you will feel what the other feels.” Stiles wondered if they were going to get the ‘ _With great power comes great responsibility_ Speech’. He had to stifle his laughter at the thought. Derek gave him a strange look, but Deaton kept speaking, “You must both make a promise to one another.”

 

He looked at stiles and stiles took a breath, he knew how this worked, the omega made promises to the alpha’s pack, while the alpha makes a promise to the omega. He took another deep breath and spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear. “I promise to be unshakeably loyal.” he began, doing his best to keep eye contact with Derek, “and to protect and care for your pack, always.” Derek’s eyes flared to red and Stiles briefly wondered if his were shifted as well.

 

“I promise to protect you and provide for you,” Derek said before adding “always.”

 

Declarations of love were never included in Alpha mating ceremonies, for in the past, these bonds were always arranged. Stiles was silently glad for that, because it was one thing that neither of them had ever talked about and he wasn’t sure Derek actually felt the same way. It didn’t matter that they were true mates because it’s Derek’s wolf that chose Stiles and though he knows they need each other, he also knows that love is a human emotion, that’s not necessarily going to be there.

 

When Deaton untied the ribbon, He felt it. Suddenly it was not just his feelings occupying his head. The emotions were content and pleased and distinctly Derek.

 

Stiles was shocked, because the bond wasn’t even completed and already, he felt so much from Derek. It was almost overwhelming, knowing that you’re now an integral part of someone’s survival. Derek obviously felt Stiles’ distress because he moved his hand, where it was still raised, to slide up Stiles’ arm and rest it on his face.

 

They were silent while stiles calmed. Unsurprisingly it was Deaton who broke the silence, “Alpha Hale, you may claim your mate.”

 

Derek leaned in and placed a firm but gentle kiss on Stiles’ lips before kissing his way down Stiles’ jaw to his neck, finally resting on the juncture between his shoulder and neck. Stiles could feel Derek’s fangs resting against his skin waiting, patiently, for Stiles to give him permission. Stiles’ took a deep breath before tipping his neck back in silent invitation.

 

The pain was white hot and overwhelming, but it lasted for only a moment, before it turned to a radiating heat that spread all over his body and pooled in his groin. His whole body was burning up and when Derek withdrew his fangs everything went black.

 

*         

 

Scott was confused, it wasn’t exactly a foreign emotion for him, but none the less he had no idea what just happened. After Stiles had passed out and Derek had taken him to his car, the remaining people began chatting and going back inside.

 

Scott turned to Peter “um what just happened?”

 

Peter raised an eyebrow “Derek’s mating ceremony?” he answered, obviously confused by Scott’s question.

 

“That was totally different from any ceremony I have ever been to,” and it was. every one, that Scott had ever been to was similar to a human wedding.

 

Peter nodded his head in understanding “Alpha bonding is different.”

 

Scott thought for a moment before he realised what had been bothering him about it. To complete a bond both wolves must bite each other and Stiles didn’t bite Derek back. “I don’t get it why didn’t they complete the bond.”

 

A smile spread across Peter’s face, Scott hated that particular smile. “Their bond has to be completed after consummating their marriage.”

 

That was one thing he never needed to picture, Scott grimaced. “ugg seriously?”

 

“The alpha’s bite will trigger an omega’s heat, regardless of the time of year. The omega will complete the bond during heat,” If possible, Peter’s smile got even larger before adding. “Usually while being knotted.”

 

“Oh god” Scott groaned, he regretted ever asking Peter. Peter laughed, clearly he enjoyed Scott’s pain.

 

“Tell me they aren’t going to be in the house during this.”

 

Peter shook his head. “Nope, they went to a hotel with excellent security. You can’t even get on their floor without a key card.”

 

“Why does that matter?” Scott asked.

 

Peter shrugged “they will be fairly vulnerable during heat.” He said before adding, “also Derek will be extremely possessive and its best that there aren’t other wolves around, we don’t want him murdering anyone.”

 

Peter moved to go inside but Scott stopped him “wait can that happen?”

 

Peter kept walking.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously the rating will be changed for the next chapter and it will likely include new and wonderful tags if this is not your thing feel free to skip the next chapter. 
> 
> Please leave feedback, I love all of your comments!
> 
> Love love love, Airla <3


	7. Overwhelming Need

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They do it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God help us all, i wrote porn i am so sorry. I have never done this before please don't hate me  
> *there will be no actual Mpreg in this fic (that's what Sequels are for)
> 
> Thank you for all of your amazing comments i love them all!   
> Please inform me of mistakes

 

Derek knew the moment Stiles was awake. His breathing changed and his heart beat picked up, he was about to go to him when it stabilized. He figured that Stiles must have panicked when he woke in an unfamiliar place, but calmed when he sensed Derek in the shower.

 

Stiles had been sleeping for two hours and had been steadily producing pheromones throughout that time. Needless to say Derek had needed a cold shower to take his mind off of his mate. His wolf practically purred at that thought. _Mate, mine claim him, claim him now._ His wolf had been steadily getting more and more agitated the longer he waited. He knew he wouldn’t be able to wake Stiles until his body was ready.

 

The Alpha bite would cause Stiles to go into a sudden heat and normally Stiles’ body would go through the necessary changes over a period of a week, so in order to do it so rapidly, he had to sleep in order to reroute the energy in his system. His wolf preened and his dick hardened at the thought of Stiles’ body changing for him, so he could bare Derek’s cubs. He knew logically that Stiles was taking birth control, but it didn’t stop the thought from making his wolf smug.

 

There was a knock at the door and he heard Stiles get up to answer the door. Derek turned the water off and started to pull on a pair of sweatpants. He frowned when he heard Stiles talking to someone, some guy… a werewolf guy. He was talking to a – the roar tore from his throat and before he even thought about it, he threw the door open practically tearing it from its hinges.

 

The werewolf was wearing a hotel uniform and had obviously been bringing room service – which he hadn’t ordered – when stiles had answered. Derek could tell the wolf was having an obvious reaction to stiles’ scent and it made Derek’s wolf furious. _Mine_ his wolf said, _stupid beta thinks he can take what’s mine?_  

 

In three seconds flat Derek had crossed the room and pinned the beta to the door frame by his throat. He’s snarling at the frightened beta, who was practically pissing himself “I’m sorry, I’m sorry I never would have come up here if I had known.” The man, no boy he was only a teenager, started crying. “It’s against our policy, I had no idea you were wolves.”

 

“Derek.” Derek turned to look at Stiles. He took in his mate’s heavy lidded eyes and face beaded with sweat. His mate needed him, so he abruptly let go of the beta and snarled through elongated teeth for him to “get the hell out.” The boy looked relieved and scrambled to get out.

 

*

 

The heat came on suddenly, and in seconds it was like he was drugged, he wasn’t even concerned about the boy Derek had pinned to the wall. Stiles needed him that’s all he knew, he practically moaned Derek’s name. Derek let the kid go and when he turned around, all the air was knocked out of stiles. Derek’s expression was predatory and filled with need. He stalked over to Stiles and loomed over him. It didn’t matter that they were practically the same height.

 

Derek grabbed the back of his head and slammed their mouths together. They kissed passionately if a little frantically. He could feel Derek’s fangs retracting and then suddenly the kiss is slower and deeper. He felt Derek’s tongue exploring his mouth languidly and he groaned moving his hands to touch Derek’s bare torso. Stiles slid his hands from Derek’s side to feel the muscle in his back, all the while he was slowly grinding his groin into Derek’s.

 

Another wave of heat hit him and suddenly it wasn’t enough, he tore off his shirt and shifted his hips so that he was now riding Derek’s thigh. He threw his head back and groaned. The alpha took that as an invitation to start biting and sucking at Stiles’ neck. He knew he was practically panting now, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. He was ridiculously horny and judging by the massive hardness pressing against his thigh, he figured he wasn’t alone.

 

He was pretty close to coming in his pants when Derek abruptly pulled away. Stiles whined “what, what why?” he asked confused. Derek chuckled and rumbled “bed” before he picked Stiles up and threw him over his shoulder. Stiles sputtered as Derek made his way across the suite. “Dude you did not seriously pick me up, right?” Derek’s only response was to slap him on the ass.

 

Derek threw Stiles on the bed and knelt down to start undoing Stiles pants. The younger man glared down at him “I am not your bitch and you don’t get to treat me like that.” He scolded while he shimmied out of his pants. Derek just smirked and… licked a line up Stiles’ boxer clad erection. Fuck that was the hottest thing he has ever seen, “fuck” he said eloquently.

 

Stiles watched as the alpha rid him of his underwear. “Jesus” Derek said breathlessly as he took in the sight of his mate “you are so fucking gorgeous.” He then proceeded to take Stiles into his mouth and – yep, Stiles’ brain was officially closed for business. It was quick and sloppy, but it was the best thing Stiles had ever felt and apparently his dick agreed because within minutes he was coming down Derek’s throat. He blushed furiously when Derek pulled off “oh shit” stiles said quickly “I’m so sorry, shit I totally couldn’t –”

 

“Stiles” Derek cut him off and it was only then that he caught the scent. He could smell semen obviously there was his, but there was also… oh

 

“oh” he said intelligently, because Derek had gotten off too. He got off sucking stiles and – yeah that’s Stiles erection ready for round two.

 

Derek just raised an eyebrow before standing up and herding Stiles further up the bed. He then crawled up the bed and knelt at Stiles’ feet before making a gesture for him to turn over. The omega blushed again and Derek leaned forward and kissed him before whispering in his ear to “turn over beautiful.” He complied and turned over and then let Derek guide him to his hands and knees.

 

Stiles could feel the weight of his mates gaze and he shivered. Another wave of heat rolled through him and swept the last of his inhibitions away. When Derek let his fingers drag over his ass he just pushed back into it. Derek chuckled and placed his thumbs near his hole spreading his cheeks so he could get a closer look.

 

When Derek spoke his voice was deep and rough. “You’re so ready for me aren’t you? Already so wet for me.” The words went straight to Stiles’ cock and he moaned wantonly.

 

Derek’s started teasing at his hole, fingers brushing over his entrance lightly. Stiles whined and tried to push back against his fingers. He panicked when Derek moved his fingers and was about to complain when he felt it. A broad wet swipe across his hole, he groaned. Derek was licking at his entrance now slowly adding more and more pressure. Stiles was no longer able to speak coherently, so he just let out a litany of moans and curses and “Derek”.

 

As Derek licked into him, he slowly pushed one of his fingers into Stiles. The omega cried out in pleasure and was unraveling fast. Derek stopped his thorough rimming and added another finger. He was prepping Stiles, scissoring them and curling them and… oh, oh shit. When Derek hit his prostate Stiles practically screamed. He saw stars and, judging by the smell, came with his dick untouched.

 

Derek groaned, and it didn’t matter that he had just cum, because he was pushing back against Derek in an effort to get him to fuck him. He was in full on heat and he needed to be filled, he needed… “Fuck, Derek I need you to – I just – need – fuck just fuck me” he begged “I need you to fucking fill me up and just fucking breed me.”

 

That last comment seemed to do it because the world turned and suddenly he was looking up at Derek, who was regarding him with hungry eyes. Stiles let his gaze roam down his mates perfectly formed body. He stopped at his cock because, Jesus, it was huge. He wasn’t much longer than stiles, but he was really thick and uncut and perfect, and if Stiles didn’t need that thing in him like right fucking now, he would want to spend hours worshiping it.

 

Derek rumbled and Stiles looked up to see the smug look on his face and Stiles just had to kiss him. Derek kissed him while he draped Stiles’ legs over his hips and gasps out “Are you sure?” Stiles gave him the ‘bitch please’ face before nodding emphatically.

 

Stiles felt the blunt pressure of the head of Derek’s cock breeching his entrance and moaned in absolute pleasure. This was truly the only thing that could satisfy the burning heat inside him. Derek pushed in, slowly and smoothly and when he was fully sheathed inside he stopped, giving stiles a second to adjust. Fortunately the heat took away most of the pain and left him with incredible pleasure. Above him his mate groaned and swore “Jesus you’re so fucking tight.”

 

While he said, “oh god Derek you feel so good, so big.”  

 

He hooked his legs together and moved his hips in invitation. Derek quickly got with the program and pulled out slowly before thrusting in again. They kept going like this, forming a rhythm that was both deep and slow. All the while they were kissing passionately only stopping to moan and whisper to each other. It didn’t take long for it to degenerate into fast and rough, where stiles was pushing back into every thrust and crying out every time Derek hit that spot inside of him.

 

Derek grunted in frustration “I can’t get deep enough.” He then proceeded to haul Stiles’ legs farther up into his arms, wresting the back of his knees against the crooks of Derek’s elbows and thrusting in deeper and faster than Stiles’ thought possible. The new angle forced Derek’s cock to brush up against Stiles’ prostate on almost every thrust, effectively bringing Stiles closer and closer to the edge.

 

 Derek’s thrusts started to slow and Stiles was about to complain, when he felt it. Derek’s knot at his entrance, he moaned wantonly “yes, god yes. Knot me do it, fuck Derek yes.” He knew was babbling and he didn’t care. Derek took possession of his mouth at the same time he thrust forward in an effort to stop Stiles from crying out; it didn’t work.

 

Derek’s knot filled Stiles so completely that when Derek made a small thrust forward, he arched his back and came. Despite already having cum twice, it was still the most intense orgasm of his entire life. Derek’s knot was putting constant pressure on his prostate and it only prolonged the feeling. As he came down from his high, he became aware of the warmth flooding his channel; Derek was coming in torrents.

 

He looked up at Derek with clear eyes for the first time, since waking up, and he couldn’t help the warmth that bloomed in his chest. When Derek tilted his head back, Stiles let his instincts take over. He let his fangs lengthen and he leaned forward.

 

The second he sunk his teeth into Derek’s neck, he felt it. The bond between them solidified and he could feel Derek’s presence as a permanent part of his mind. He withdrew his teeth and looked at his mate. Stiles could tell by his alphas expression, that he felt it too and he leaned forward to claim his mouth, softly and tenderly. 

 

Derek flipped them over and Stiles settled his head on his mate’s shoulder. And for Stiles, it doesn’t matter that his legs are cramped and that this was probably not the best position to do this in, because he has never, in all his life, felt this close to another person.  

 

            

 

       

        

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh god what have i done? 
> 
> Tell me how i did in the comments!
> 
> Also i will be back on a more regular schedule when im done exams in two days. 
> 
> <3 Airla


	8. The Challenger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got bored of studying and decided to write this. I wrote and edited it pretty quickly so i apologize for any mistakes. Please feel free to point any out to me. 
> 
> Thank you everyone for your amazing comments and support <3

Derek Hale was content. For the first time in years he didn’t feel the gaping hole left behind by his family quite so badly. None of his burdens seemed as heavy as before. He knew the feelings of contentment were not just his. The bond was incredible; Derek could actually feel his mate’s wellbeing.

 

Stiles yawned and Derek looked down to where the younger man was curled into his side, head resting on his chest. Stiles scrunched his nose up and squeezed his eyes shut, obviously not wanting to wake up. Derek chuckled, because that was probably the cutest expression ever. Stiles moved his hand from where it was draped across his chest, to smack aimlessly at his face.

 

“Shhhhhhhh, it’s too early.” He said voice thick with sleep

 

Derek turned his head to look at the clock beside the bed “its 3:20 in the afternoon.” Derek wasn’t surprised; they had been up practically the whole night. They had gone at it again and again until Stiles’ heat subsided and even then they only stopped due to sheer exhaustion.

 

Stiles stomach growled and Derek laughed, obviously they had been too busy to remember to eat. “Alright” he said “come on, get up I’ll feed you.”

 

Stiles stretched and slid out of the bed “don’t worry about it. I’ll just grab some room service from last night.”

 

“Go for it.” Derek said, making his way to the bathroom bathroom. He internally groaned at the thought of that kid he almost killed last night. He was never going to hear the end of that, and seriously who the hell ordered that food anyway? He had just assumed that it came with the suite package, but the kid had said he hadn’t known who they were.

 

He was suddenly extremely wary. He left the bathroom and hurried to the sitting room, but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the expression on his mates face. “Stiles?” he prompted.

 

Stiles just turned and pointed at the cart. On it there was champagne in a bucket of water two glasses, a box of chocolates and a silver platter. “Is that?” Derek asked horrified and Stiles nodded.

 

Derek picked up the small silver card beside the tray.

_Congratulations_

_Thinking of you_

_-J.D._

He couldn’t help the waves of anger that rolled through him. It wasn’t just the obvious challenge that made him furious, but also the sheer mockery of instinct. He had once told Stiles that werewolves always used every part of a deer, so as not to be wasteful. Derek was certain that Dennel hadn’t been so respectful when he carved out a deer’s heart and sent it to them on a silver platter.   

 

*

 

Stiles was still pretty shaken when Derek led him through the front door of his house. They had both agreed that Josh wasn’t an idle threat and it was probably best to postpone celebrations.

 

As soon as they walked through the door, his father and Peter walked through the door. “Did Erica call you?” Peter asked “I told her not to.”

 

Derek frowned “why would she call me?”

 

Peter sighed “It seems there was substantial trespassing in our territory” he paused a moment before adding “and there was a deer left on our porch.”

 

Stiles groaned because, of course. Of course he would threaten their territory. “Let me guess the deer arrived sans heart.”

 

His father frowned “Yeah how did you –”   

 

“We received room service last night, courtesy of our friendly neighborhood Canadian.” Stiles said interrupting his father who grimaced.

 

“Obviously it’s not the same deer, but none the less it is still unsettling, mostly because I’m not sure if he’s here or in California.” Derek said through clenched teeth.

 

Peter snorted “California is closer to home for him, I’m certain he’s there.”

 

Derek sighed “Alright, it looks like were going home. Peter can you book the tickets?”

 

Peter smirked and held out a stack of printed tickets. Stiles was about to ask why there were so many tickets when his dad spoke “Derek, you have to understand it’s not that I don’t trust you, but I would feel better knowing that Jackson is there. In case you need him.”

 

Stiles winced, but Derek just nodded “Don’t apologize. I totally agree, besides” He added “Jackson is a friend and is always welcome.”

 

He was actually glad that his Jackson was going because it would make the transition less painful. He was already going to miss his dad fiercely. It would help to have his brother and best friend by his side, especially with everything that’s happening.

 

“Oh and John” Derek said “I think it’s time we call Sean.”  

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't let go of Jackson and Lydia so they will both be coming to Beacon Hills!
> 
> Please leave feedback <3
> 
> Love Airla


	9. Welcome back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They go home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Firstly I apologize for the lateness, but i was having trouble writing this chapter. I had to sit down and write a bunch in order to get this out, so I'm sorry if its a bit rough. 
> 
> I needed to give some info on all the betas so there ended up being a lot of info in this chapter and i'm sorry about that. If anyone has any questions feel free to ask them. 
> 
> Also big apologies to flexible_k! Babe i gave you the wrong email i swear i haven't been ignoring you.
> 
> Anywho enjoy
> 
> <3

Danny was anxious. He wasn’t entirely sure why, but he felt it in the pit of his stomach. He had felt off kilter since the threat on their territory started the night before.  He and many of the other betas had been up for hours patrolling the hale pack territory. It was vast, and thankfully he only had to guard the manor and surrounding territory.

 

Normally Danny never had to be on the front lines, his skills were much better equipped for behind the scenes work. He knew it could be worse. In Derek and Scott’s absence Boyd was running the entirety of the hale pack and Danny did not envy him in the least. Boyd was currently trying to calm down a pack full of frightened werewolves. Thankfully the news of a possible threat had not yet reached outlying packs, but it was only a matter of time. He sighed when his phone rang. He knew it would be another group of betas looking for assignment.

 

After the hunter ordeal, Derek split the group of fighting wolves into two factions. Whereas other packs only ever called their wolves to fight when there was a threat, the hale pack had a long history of training wolves as soldiers and putting them into ranks. This made them formidable to other packs, but as they found with the hunters, wasn’t as effective with humans who favoured war tactics. Derek’s solution was to make the group more specialized. Depending on their skills, they became either ‘Protectors’ and dealt with pack security, or ‘Fighters’ that dealt with the offensive.

 

He answered the phone with a curt “what?”

 

“umm we just started our shift and were told to call you instead of the twins.” Said the unfamiliar voice

 

“You realize Erica is still in the territory right?” he asked them with a hint of contempt in his voice.

 

“Yeah, but I report to Isaac and the others said that she was busy.” He said, before hastily adding “and we were also told you were filling in for Isaac.” Even though Erica and Isaac weren’t actually related people commonly referred to them as ‘The Twins’. The two had trained together from an early age, earning a reputation as the fiercest wolves under Hale pack control. They had been sent to beacon hills at the age of sixteen for formal training with Laura. After she died and Derek divided the soldiers, Erica was appointed leader of The Fighters. Naturally, Isaac was to lead the protectors. Before Derek had left he had told Danny to act in Isaac’s stead.

 

“Who did you take over for?” Danny asked putting the phone on speaker and switching to his scheduling program.

 

“Sanchez” he answered

 

He scrolled through that evenings schedule until he found what he was looking for. “Alright, you’re going to start where you are and circle back around the eastern forest.”

 

“Okay” the voice said before hesitantly adding “The enforcer said he needs you at the manor.”

 

Danny glowered “of course he does. In that case, you’re going to have to send half of your team to cover the northern forest and house patrol.”

 

“Sure thing boss” the voice said before hanging up. Danny didn’t know who he was, but he really hated that guy.

 

*

 

When Danny got to the house, he found Boyd waiting for him in his tech room. He put his hands up and said mock reverently “oh great enforcer you hath summoned me.” Boyd snorted and Danny added “whoever you told to call me is scared shitless of you.”

 

Boyd smiled slyly “yeah I’ve had to punish him a few times.” Danny looked at him expectantly for a moment before he cleared his throat. “Alpha called. There coming home immediately seems there taking this threat pretty seriously, turns out there having some problems over there.”

 

Danny felt a stab of panic run through him “what happened? Is everyone ok?”

 

Boyd looked at him skeptically before saying. “Isaac’s fine and I’m not entirely sure what happened.”

 

Danny exhaled a breath of relief “maybe Becca mysteriously disappeared.” He suggested and Boyd huffed in laughter. He couldn’t deny the pleasure his wolf gained from the idea.

 

Becca was the reason that he and Isaac had been fighting so much recently. Her constant presence had been consistently infringing on their already scarce alone time. To make things worse, her scent was starting to overpower his on Isaac and that made Danny furious. He knew that she was interested in Derek – hell everyone knew that – But he and Isaac weren’t mated yet and werewolf instincts were possessive.

 

“Are you two still fighting?” Boyd asked, startling him out of his thoughts. He didn’t know when he and Boyd had become such good friends, but he figured it was because they were both dating one of the twins.

 

He sighed he should probably just tell the truth. “I kind of overreacted before he left. We had a big fight, he thinks I don’t trust him.” He rubbed his hands over his face “I do trust him, but I am terrified of losing him. I’m not stupid; I know that if I keep doing this, I will lose him” Boyd just looked at him expectantly, waiting for more. Danny shook his head he wasn’t sure how to articulate his feelings he settled with “I need him.”

 

“You should probably just tell him that” Danny turned to see a pretty redhead. She stood at about five foot two and was wearing a formfitting purple dress. Her smile was bright and devious. She was quite possibly the scariest person he had ever seen; she reminded him of Erica.

 

“I’m sorry but who are you?” he asked.

 

“Lydia” she said as if that answered everything. “Your alpha is back and I volunteered to come find you.” With that she swept out of the room.

 

Something about her expression told him that she wasn’t only there to ‘come find them’ her posturing screamed momma bear.  He understood when he entered the sitting room. She was standing in front of a young man. Judging by the scent he guessed that this was Derek’s mate. Though he wasn’t sure how the two of them were related, he knew that she felt protective of him. It made sense, she was an omega and judging by her dress he figured she was from his pack. He was so wary of her posturing that it took him a minute to really look at the guy. He was quite beautiful; he had soft features and gorgeous amber eyes. He inhaled and took in the comforting scent of the alpha and his mate. He was pleased for Derek, after everything, he deserved something nice.  

 

Danny was struck from his thoughts when he caught the familiar scent in the room. He immediately moved toward his boyfriend stopping only inches in front of him. He swallowed before throwing his head back, begging for his forgiveness. Isaac complied and buried his head into Danny’s neck. The latter inhaled deeply before letting out a litany of apologies and pleas for forgiveness. Isaac only took his face between his hands and kissed him.

 

*

 

His new home was quite nice, it was new and elegant. Stiles had never actually been to the old hale home, but he knew that it must have resembled this. Immediately after arriving Lydia had gone to find/ silently intimidate Derek’s enforcer, leaving Stiles alone in the large living room. He wasn’t entirely certain what he was supposed to do so he just stood there and waited.

 

“Oh my, you are just adorable.” He looked up to see a beautiful blond woman clad in leather standing in front of him. She smiled and held out a hand “I’m Erica.”

 

“Stiles” he said shaking her hand. He had to admit, she was pretty intimidating. It was her smile, he thought, it held a promise of violence to anyone who crossed her; he liked her already.

 

“Well Stiles, tell me all about yourself.” She said with a grand gesture.

 

After discovering a mutual love of comic books, any lingering discomfort faded. They talked until Lydia returned, positioning herself in front of Stiles. He snorted, because Lydia always felt the need to protect him from things. Shortly after two men entered the room, the first was tall and handsome with dark skin. He was clearly the pack enforcer, everything about him screamed authority. Stiles was quite familiar with his father’s enforcer and he recognized the signs. The other man was tall and well built. Stiles only had a moment to look at him before he rushed over to Isaac - who had only just entered the room.

 

He turned his attention over to the enforcer who was now making his way toward where they stood. Erica greeted him with a kiss before turning around and presenting him to the omegas. “Stiles this is my mate, Boyd. Boyd this is Derek’s mate Stiles.” He held his hand out and Boyd took it.

 

After a moment he remembered the strawberry blonde next to him. “Oh sorry, this is my sister in-law Lydia. Lydia this is Erica.” Lydia rolled her eyes at his faux pas before greeting the betas

 

Erica turned to where Isaac was nuzzling the man he could only presume was Danny - from what Isaac told him. “Where’s the boss man.”

 

“How many times have I told you not to call me that?” Derek said as he strolled through the door with Peter, Becca and Jackson behind him.

 

Erica smiled for a second, before throwing herself halfway across the room and into his arms. Derek grunted as he caught her but chuckled when she said “I missed you, boss. Boyd makes a terrible Alpha.”

 

 “Hey” Boyd said, though he too was smiling. Derek hugged Danny as well. He didn’t hug Boyd, but he cuffed him on the back of the neck, in what it was obviously a familiar gesture. Stiles was pleased to see the affection that Derek showed his betas.

 

Erica clapped her hands together “Okay, is someone going to tell us what in the hell is going on?”

 

*

 

It took about twenty minutes for introductions and briefing. Stiles could tell the new revelations didn’t sit well with Derek’s betas, he didn’t blame them.

 

Jackson broke the heavy silence “so dad called the Dennel alpha.”

 

Stiles gaped at his brother, because he had yet to mention this. “What did he say?”

 

“He said that he could tell Josh wasn’t ready and that when it came time, he didn’t hand over the mantle.” Jackson looked to Derek before finishing. “He left, but before he did, he freed every locked up wolf they had in exchange for their allegiance. He also said that he didn’t tell anyone because he thought Josh would come back in his own time.”

 

Derek blew out a breath “yeah, I guess we knew that.”

 

Stiles groaned “so what, Josh and his band of misfits are just out there waiting for us.”

 

Erica cocked her head to the side. “He really put a heart on a silver platter?” She asked and he nodded “Man Canadians are creepy.”

 

“Fucking Canadians” Isaac agreed and Stiles snorted.

 

“What the hell did you do to this guy?” Jackson asked

 

“I didn’t punch him in the face if that’s what you’re asking.” Derek said with a smirk

 

Jackson threw his hands in the air “Let it go!”

 

Derek smirked again before turning his gaze to his mate “Until this blows over Stiles I want you to stay with Erica.”

 

Peter groaned into his hands and muttered “oh yeah, that’s brilliant”

 

“No” he said flatly

 

Derek visibly tensed, then growled “yes, we already know you’re a target.”

 

“We’re all targets and we both know that I could fight him off.” He practically hissed. Stiles hated when people assumed he was weak because he was an omega.

 

“Yeah what if there are several of them?” Derek asked stubbornly

 

“Then I run.” He said simply “I have never met a wolf I can’t out run. I’m fast Derek”

 

Jackson nodded his head in agreement. “He’s right, he is really fucking fast. You haven’t seen him in a long time.”

 

Stiles could feel a wave of nervous frustration roll through him and he sighed. “I’m not saying I will go out alone in the woods, I just don’t need a bodyguard.” He said laying his hand on the alphas thigh. The reaction was visceral. Derek relaxed again and Stiles could feel harsh waves calm.

 

“Holy shit” Erica said.

 

“What?” he asked

 

Several of the betas were staring at him open mouthed. Danny was the first to find his voice “how the hell did you do that?” he asked indicating Derek “he normally needs like, hours of brooding time before he is able to calm down.”

 

He shrugged “it’s kind of my job”

 

Derek sighed again “look it’s late and we’re all tired. How about we sleep on it?”

 

Everyone agreed and got up to leave, Stiles put a hand on Becca’s shoulder “I need to talk to you.” She gritted her teeth and nodded. Stiles looked at Derek - who had yet to leave – expectantly before saying “just give us a minute alone yeah.” His mate lingered a moment before nodding stiffly and leaving the room.

 

He turned to look at Becca who glared at him “look I know you’re not my biggest fan, but I need you to work with me.”

 

She glowered “who do you think you are? You just got here and already you are ordering us around.”

 

His eyes flared to life, everything about this girl put him on edge. “I think” he grit out “that I am doing exactly what I have been preparing for my entire life. I am your alpha mate. Whether you like it or not, it is my job to protect this pack.”

 

She sneered “and how are you going to do that? Bake the baddies cookies without chocolate chips.”

 

He snarled and shot his hand out to catch her by the throat. “Do not underestimate me pup, it will be the last mistake you make.”  She was clawing at his hand trying to breathe, but it was useless; he was so much stronger than she. “As I said, it is my job to protect the pack. As you stand, your dissention is a threat to this pack.” He snarled in her face again before releasing her. She dropped to the floor and he turned on his heel heading towards the exit. He stopped before opening the door, “oh and pup” he said without turning around. “I was trained to eliminate threats.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay plot, well sort of. 
> 
> Please leave feedback!
> 
> Also here is my [Tumblr](http://pack-instinct.tumblr.com/)
> 
> <3 so much love  
> Airla


	10. Taking control

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles takes control

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to Flexible_K for all your help with this chapter! Any remaining mistakes are my own. 
> 
> As always thank you everyone for the incredible encouragement
> 
> <3 Airla

  
“Oh and pup, I was trained to eliminate threats”

 

Derek couldn’t stop thinking about the words Stiles had said to Becca. His mate was possessive of both him and his pack and the thought warmed Derek’s heart. Stiles’ voice however, had been threatening and dangerous and it stirred something primal in the alpha.

 

“Derek” Stiles said, obviously exasperated “Where are you? I’ve been talking to you since we left the living room.” Derek looked up and realized they were already in his bedroom.

 

He cleared his throat and said “I ah – I heard what you said to Becca”

 

Stiles frowned “Look, I’m sorry if I overstepped, but – ”

 

“No” Derek said willing his mate to understand. He concentrated on trying to release some pheromones.

 

Stiles eyes widened “oh” he said before dropping his voice seductively “You like it when I take control?” Derek only nodded.

 

Stiles closed the door behind himself and when he turned, he was smirking. Derek was grabbed and shoved up against the wall before he could even register the omega’s movements. The second he had him pinned, the younger man ground his thigh against Derek’s groin. In response, the alpha threw his head back and groaned. Stiles didn’t waste a moment before latching on to his mate’s neck, licking and sucking.

 

This was most definitely a side of the younger man that Derek had never seen. He had seen glimpses before, but nothing like this; it was a massive turn on

 

Growling roughly, Stiles leaned back and tugged Derek’s shirt off. Not a second after it was gone, he returned to working on the alpha's neck.

 

When that sinful mouth found Derek’s nipple, his knees almost gave out. In an effort to stay upright, he moved his hands to grip into his mate’s hair, but Stiles growled and pulled off. He took hold of Derek’s arms and pinned them against the wall.

 

“No touching” he rasped before turning his attention back to teasing his mate. Derek didn’t need to be told not to move his arms.

 

After thorough exploration of his mate’s chest, it seemed Stiles’ interest laid elsewhere. Derek watched, captivated, as the younger man sank to his knees and began undoing his belt. As Stiles rid him of his remaining clothing he was torn between wanting his mate to slow down, and hurry up.

 

Finally Derek’s torturer took pity on him and grasped his leaking shaft. Derek couldn’t take his eyes off of Stiles as the man licked a long stripe up his cock, from base to tip. Thankfully he didn’t tease for long before taking Derek into his mouth.

 

The alpha’s brain shut off after that and all he knew was how close he was getting to the edge. “Stiles I’m gonna…” as soon as the words were out of his mouth his mate pulled off and stood up.

 

The omega glanced around the room before pointing to the large arm chair. Derek moved without further instruction. The chair was wide and he only took up half of it when he sat down.

 

Stiles grinned suggestively before he began to slowly peel off his clothing. Derek caught his breathe, because every inch of pale skin revealed served to increase his arousal. Pheromones were practically pouring off of the omega and Derek could smell his slick; his mate was definitely turned on.

 

When Stiles was completely naked, he straddled Derek, wasting no time before starting to prep himself. Derek was frustrated because, in that moment, he couldn’t watch. He focused instead on the omegas face.

 

Stiles’ eyes were heavy lidded, pupils blown wide and his mouth falling open. The alpha, drawn by his mate’s beautiful face, leaned forward for a kiss. The kiss was returned enthusiastically with one of the omega’s hands gripping the chair for balance as he continued stretching himself.  

 

Stiles broke the kiss and shifted forward, his cock pressing up against Derek’s abdomen. Again he reached behind himself, this time grasping the alpha’s length and positioning it at his entrance.

 

Derek moaned in sheer pleasure as Stiles impaled himself on his dick. The younger man wasted no time in rising up only to slam himself back down in quick succession. Stiles took possession of Derek’s mouth as he set a brutal rhythm. The pace was rough and hard, and in no time the two were on the verge of release.

 

“Don’t knot me” Stiles gasped into Derek’s shoulder and the alpha nodded because, even on the edge of orgasm, he still had that much control.

 

Derek could tell his mate was close, so he wrapped a hand around Stiles’ length. It only took a few strokes to bring the omega to completion and when he came, he bit the juncture of Derek’s neck. The latter was on the absolute edge and when he felt his mate’s blunt teeth bury into his neck, he too toppled over the edge.

 

Stiles collapsed onto Derek, both sweat slick and panting. They held each other tightly as they came down from their respective orgasms.

 

“Holy shit” Stiles said and Derek grunted in agreement before moving his head to meet his mate’s eyes.

 

“Where the hell did you learn that?” he asked in absolute aw.

 

“I watch a  _lot_  of porn.” Stiles responded seriously. Derek nodded his head seriously before bursting into laughter. Stiles joined him and the two curled up on the oversized armchair, giggling and sated.

 

*

 

Sometimes Scott hated his super hearing, this was definitely one of those times. In theory every room in the house was soundproofed, but because the walls were not made of solid concrete a lot of the noise still filtered through. At the moment the beta could hear at least three couples having sex. Derek’s room – thank god – was on the opposite side of the house from where he was, so he could only barely hear the two of them. Unfortunately the same could not be said for Boyd and Erica. The two of them always managed to have obnoxiously loud sex at inappropriate times.

 

Scott sighed and closed the internet on his phone. “Man I hate this house.”

 

Peter, who was reading across from him, didn’t even bother to look up before saying “You could always move out.”

 

Scott considered the possibility for a moment, but the idea was foreign to him. Werewolves tended to live in large groups and since his mother married into another pack, this was his family. “Nah, I just wish everyone didn’t have to have sex at the same time when I’m here.”

 

 

Peter raised an eyebrow “so you would prefer they all do it at different times prolonging the experience for you?”

 

Scott scowled at him “How does this not even faze you?”

 

Peter shrugged “I’ve lived with a house full of werewolves my entire life. After a while it ceases to be anything of notice.” 

 

Scott was about to respond when he heard the howl. For a moment the house was dead silent before he heard the clamor of several people scrambling to get up and dressed. Boyd and Erica were the first to reach the room

 

“What the hell was that?” Scott asked Erica

 

“They’re sounding the alarm.” She responded

 

“One of yours?” Peter asked. Erica shook her head. Not a second later Isaac walked into the room on his phone.

 

“I don’t care what you heard, stay where you are goddammit.” he paused for a moment, obviously listening to whomever was on the line. “Yeah or it could be a distraction. Hold your position.” he said before hanging up his phone. “I think it was Joseph’s team.” He answered before anyone could ask “they had the eastern forest. We need to head out right away.”

 

“It definitely came from the eastern border.” Derek said as he walked into the room, Jackson hot on his heels. Derek’s hair was wet and he was –

 

“Oh god why are you naked?” Scott asked them incredulously

 

“Do you have any idea how expensive it is to have to keep replacing clothes you tear through?” Jackson answered seriously.

 

“Yeah” Derek added “And you lose time stripping if you don’t want to ruin your clothes.”

 

“I would like to point out we are losing time having this conversation” Lydia said. Neither she nor Stiles seemed even remotely surprised by the nudity.

 

Scott threw his hands in the air and walked out the front door. It would be a couple of miles out so as soon as he was outside he shifted and ran to where they had heard the howl.  

 

Scott was surprised to find that Stiles was already there talking to a group of betas when he arrived. “Didn’t you leave after me?” Scott asked him and Stiles nodded dismissively. He guessed they really weren’t kidding before when they said he was very fast.

 

“Where?” Stiles asked one of the betas. The guy couldn’t have been more than fifteen. “Jonah, where did you find it?” The kid was trembling, but the omega’s voice was soft and he had a hand placed on his shoulder.

 

Jonah swallowed and said, voice shaky “about sixty yards that way” he pointed off into the woods. Scott watched as Stiles lifted his head scenting the air before nodding. “I can take you to it.” The kid offered

 

Stiles shook his head and said “no, we wait for the alpha.”

 

It took about five minutes for everyone to arrive and when they did Jackson and Derek were in wolf form. Stiles informed everyone that the patrol group found something. Scott waited for Derek to shift and give orders, but was surprised when the wolf simply looked back at his mate. The omega took a deep breath “Alright” he said “Derek, Scott, Erica and Lydia with me. Everyone else is going to stay here.” Jackson growled, but stopped when his brother shot him a look.

 

Stiles turned and started walking deeper into the forest. Lydia and Erica were only seconds behind him. Scott turned to see his alpha staring at him expectantly. Scott chuckled and followed them into the woods.

 

*

 

Scott wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but it definitely wasn’t a dead body. As soon as they got there Stiles knelt by the dead girl, blocking her from his sight. Derek shifted back to human “Stiles?”

 

“I’m so sorry baby” he answered, his voice rough.

 

“what?” Derek asked

 

“She’s human” Stiles said

 

“Fuck!” Derek yelled, punching the tree next to him.

 

“Why is that worse than if she were a wolf?” Erica asked obviously confused at the alpha’s outburst

 

Lydia smiled sadly “You have a dead human in your territory. By law that’s reasonable grounds for interference.”

 

“Interference?” Scott asked her, not understanding why that would make Derek so upset.

 

“Hunters” She clarified. 

  


Derek’s howl was equal parts terrifying as it was heart wrenching.       

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave feed back
> 
> Also here is my new [Tumblr](http://www.ladyairla.tumblr.com) I will be posting update information also feel free to ask me questions or leave me prompts.
> 
> Much love   
> Airla


	11. Scars of the Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for Derek to talk about the past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay first things first. I AM SO SORRY! I have been super busy and on top of that had a massive case of writers block. I had troubles getting this chapter done and to be honest i'm not sure how i feel about it.
> 
> It is important to note that this story is AU! In this chapter I have taken canon events and twisted them for my own purposes. (sorry not sorry)
> 
> Any who as always please inform me of any mistakes. 
> 
> Thank you all for being patient  
> <3 Airla

“What the hell are we supposed to do now?”  Scott asked shakily. Derek, jaw tight and fists clenched, made no move to respond.   

 

Deciding his mate would not respond, Stiles cleared his throat and looked to Lydia. “Can you track whoever did this?” In response she raised one perfectly sculpted eyebrow, daring him to tell her she couldn’t. Lydia, despite how rarely omegas hunted, was the best tracker in his former pack. “Alright well you’re not going alone.” She started to protest, but Stiles cut her off. “Everyone is going to be in pairs tonight; No exceptions.” She grimaced and Stiles turned to Scott and Erica. “She needs someone who can move quickly and quietly, any suggestions?”

 

They shared a look before simultaneously responding “Isaac.”

 

“Okay, so Isaac and Lydia will try to track down whoever did this. Scott, you’re going to report this to the human law enforcement.” Scott was about to protest, but Stiles cut him off. “ When human and werewolf crimes overlap the Police and Pack Enforcer have to work together, so you will need to take Boyd with you.” Stiles paused a moment to make sure he had the beta’s attention; the next part was vital. “They are going to ask you if you have any idea why this’s happened. You will make no mention of Dennel or any breaches of territory. We want them to think that this is, at worst, a rouge wolf; are we clear on this?”

 

Scott nodded and Stiles spoke again. “Danny is your computer guy, right?” It was Erica’s turn to nod and upon conformation, he continued. “We want this buried as deeply as possible so as soon as the news comes out, I need him to figure out a way to draw attention away from the murder. Tell Jackson to help him. He is excellent at dealing with media. Erica, you need to double the security for tonight.”

 

After everyone had gone to complete their jobs, Stiles was left alone with a mate who was currently trying to leave without him noticing.

 

He sighed and followed Derek to another clearing that was absent the stench of death. “Where do you think you’re going?” Stiles asked when Derek just kept walking.  

 

Derek visibly tensed before saying “Stiles” in an attempt to halt all conversation.  

 

Stiles was sympathetic, but the fact of the matter was that they couldn’t keep avoiding this problem. “We’ve never really talked about it.” He said, fishing.

 

“Why would we?” Derek asked. Clearly not taking the opening he said, “You already know what happened.”

 

Stiles winced. “I only know what my father told me.” Derek remained closed mouthed and Stiles stole himself. “I know I wasn’t there for you when it happened, and I’m sorry about that. But Derek,” he cried flailing wildly, “You can’t just shut me out.”

 

Derek sighed and moved back to Stiles, pulling him into his arms, and spoke. “I don’t blame you for not coming. We both know it wasn’t ever an option.” He stiffened, “and I don’t see the point in rehashing the past.”

 

Stiles resisted the urge to groan in frustration. “I need to know what we are dealing with. All I know is that your pack was having problems with a local family of hunters. It kept escalating until the fire, then you became Alpha and eventually drove them out”

 

Derek’s face grew grave and he shook his head murmuring, “that’s not what happened, not at all.”

 

*

Derek POV

Flashback

 

“Derek, I get it, okay? But she’s not like that. She didn’t even know about her family until this feud started and the rest of her family arrived.” Scott said doing his best impression of a puppy.

 

Derek couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Ten minutes ago he had been preparing to take patrol. Ten minutes ago he didn’t know that one of his mother’s betas was sleeping with a hunter. “Fuck, Scott, is this a joke?” He asked incredulously. “Do you realize that her family devotes their lives to killing our kind?”

 

“Derek, her mother just died, and she needs me. The only reason I told you is so you can cover for me if someone asks.”  Derek wanted to scream at the stupid boy.

 

“You only told me, Scott,” he gritted out between clenched teeth, “because I caught you trying to sneak out of the boundaries after curfew.” In the back of his mind, he knew it wasn’t fair to be quite so mad at Scott, but Derek had been having problems with his control since getting home.

 

It had already been three weeks since he left New York and his mate. He had lived with the Stilinski pack for years, and suddenly he was thrown back into his old life. Derek felt like he was constantly adrift. He had spent his time there honing his skills. He became a fierce fighter and never once, in all that time, had he struggled with his control. Now, with his mate across the country from him, he had no anchor.

 

The beta scowled at him “She’s my mate, Derek, I can feel it.”

 

Derek groaned and had to resist the urge to throw the beta into the nearest tree “You’re sixteen Scott! Girlfriend is not equivalent to mate.”

 

“I’m sixteen, so what?” Scott asked affronted “You’re only three years older than me, and you know who your mate is.”   

 

Derek could feel his claws piercing the skin of his palm. “That is completely different, and you know it.”

 

Scott was about to respond when Derek heard the unholy screech of “DDEEEEERRREEEEKKKK”

 

“LAAAAUURRRAAA” he called back to where his sister was standing on the porch of their house.

 

“Mom and Dad want to talk to you.” She said mildly before going back into the house.

 

Derek groaned because there was no ignoring his alpha’s summons. “I have to go see them. You,” He punctuated by pointing a finger at the beta, “had better not go anyway until I get back.” With that, Derek made his way back to the house.

 

He found his parents sitting on a couch in his mother’s study. “Ah Derek take a seat.” She said gesturing to the arm chair across from them.

 

“What’s this about?” he asked hesitantly as he sat.

 

“How have you been Derek?” his mother asked, ignoring his question, “I know it’s been an adjustment.” He shrugged his shoulders in response. “I know that you were hoping to go back next month and, to be honest, so were we; however, things with the hunters have” she paused searching for a word “escalated.”

 

Derek felt something in his stomach knot. He didn’t know where this was going, but he didn’t like it. “No it’s fine I’ll stay until this gets sorted out.”

 

His father looked at him kindly. “Son, I’m afraid that you won’t be able to move back to New York at all.” Derek furrowed his brow in confusion but his dad just kept going “Your mother feels that the hunters have grown too powerful to leave unchecked.”

 

“We’ve talked it over,” She started, “and we both agree that in order to eradicate the problem, we need a young, strong Alpha.

 

“What?” Derek sputtered completely taken aback. “I don’t even – what?” She couldn’t be serious. He didn’t have a mate, he didn’t have cubs. Alpha heirs were supposed to have stability in their lives before they take over a pack. At the very least, they were usually over twenty.

 

“I’m quite serious” she responded. He took a moment to think that he must have said that out loud, before continuing his internal freak out. “If we are being perfectly honest, I think it might be the only way to save our pack.” He let that sink in.

 

“We need to be united. Everyone is loyal to you, not me. A lot of people will be angry if I become Alpha before I’m ready; it will just cause dissention.” Derek said, panic setting in.

 

“On the contrary, if you think about it most of our fighting wolves grew up with you and are more likely to respect you.”

 

Derek snorted and asked “Do I have a choice?”

 

His father leaned forward “Of course you do, but it is up to you to make the right one”

 

Derek really wished he had time to make his decision, but it was pretty clear he wasn’t going to get it. He could do this. His entire life had been leading up to this moment. “Alright” he said nodding slowly “Ok, yeah I’ll do it.”

 

His Mother, his Alpha rose from her place on the couch. When she reached Derek, she reached out and ran her hands through his hair like she did when he was a child. She gently pushed his head to the side, exposing his neck, and leaned down burying her fangs into his shoulder.

 

He felt it immediately, the power. It started out as white hot pain; emanating from the bite and coursing through his veins. It was all consuming, and he felt the change rip through him. Derek hadn’t shifted against his will since puberty. He could barely stand the shame of it.

 

He could feel his mother holding him down, and because the wolf didn’t want to be contained, he snarled at her as he threw her to the side. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he spared a second to note how incredibly strange it was that he was able to overpower his mother.

 

“Derek, honey you need to calm down!” was that his mother?

 

“Son, find your anchor.” Oh yeah, and how was he supposed to do that? Stiles was on the othersi– Stiles. Something in him clicked, and like a wave the human side rose up. He was just a man (well werewolf) who had a family, friends, and a mate. He willed himself to shift back to human, and thankfully, it worked.

 

“I’m sorry” he rasped “Oh god I’m so sorry”

 

He didn’t know what he expected them to do, but it definitely wasn’t to burst into laughter.

 

“Ha! That” his dad said indicating Derek’s shift “was nothing. Your mother flipped out and ran into the woods. It took us three days to find her.”

 

“It’s my fault. I should have warned you, but I just had to know what you were going to do” she practically giggled. He scowled because his parents were children. “It will take a while to get used to and your control is going to be iffy for a while, but don’t worry too much about it.”

 

“So what happens now?” he asks carefully

 

His mother grins “You’re the alpha now remember? You decide what happens next.” He’s pretty sure his face visibly pales. “We’ll give you a week to adjust and then we will make an official announcement, okay?”

 

He was about to respond when he felt a stabbing pain in his chest. “What the hell was that?” he asked grasping at his chest.

 

“That happens sometimes.” She answered brow furrowed, “usually when someone in the pack is hurt.”

 

Derek groaned “You mean I’m going to feel like that every time a werewolf east of Louisiana gets a paper cut?”

 

“No just our pack. Even though you are technically Alpha to all of those wolves” She gestured vaguely “They are bonded to their alphas who are sworn to you.” And he knew that, but it helped to have her remind him.

 

He could feel the unease building inside him, punctuated by another stab of pain. His father, noticing his discomfort, placed a hand on his shoulder “You should be able to tell who it is. I don’t know how to explain it other than that it’s a feeling, and you will just know.”

 

Derek tried to push through the pain and focus on the feeling in the pit of his stomach. When he focused, he could get an impression of someone young, male, strong. He focused harder and felt fear, anger, betrayal… It was frustrating. He felt like he had a word on the tip of his tongue. Suddenly his brain flashed back to the conversation he was having earlier, before Laura interrupted him.

 

He was out the door and halfway to the forest before he realised that he had no idea where he was supposed to be going. Turning inward, he focused again. Dark, damp, pain so much pain he felt like he was choking and his skin was burning. Before he even realised what he was doing he tipped his head back and howled, calling for his beta. “Fuck Scott where are you.” He was so busy panicking, that he almost missed the answering howl. If he was being perfectly honest, he felt it more than heard it. He shot off toward where the howl had come from. He shifted into his wolf form; effectively tearing his clothes in the process.

    

He ran, and ran, and ran until he made he found himself in front of a large warehouse. He stopped to listen. Voices drifted up from the under the warehouse.

 

“Oh, honestly Jake if you can’t look after one pup for the fifteen minutes it will take for him to die, I’m not surprised my father doesn’t approve of you.

 

“I’m not saying that I can’t. I just think it isn’t wise for us to split up in case anyone comes after him.

 

“Come after him? Why on earth would anyone do that? According to Allison, the only family he has is a workaholic mother.”

 

“You’re not listening to me. Kate? Kate?” Derek heard the sound of a door slamming shut and a moment later he watched as Kate Argent got into a black SUV and drove off. Derek took in a deep breath and focused his senses on the warehouse. He couldn’t believe it. She had actually left Scott alone with just one human. He waited a moment and then made his move.

 

The moment he entered the warehouse, he understood. He could feel the wolfsbane in the air. It was weighing down his every step, and taxing his every breath. By the time he made it to the basement, the last grasp he had left on his control was gone. The rage was all consuming; how dare they hurt his pack brother. He had so much power now. Why shouldn’t he use it to reap vengeance for all the pain the hunters have caused his pack? For a moment he saw only red. It wasn’t until Derek felt the hunter’s throat between his teeth, the taste of blood hot on his tongue, that he even realised what he was doing.

 

He dropped the man in horror. This was not the first time Derek had attacked a human – such was the life of a werewolf at war – but it was the first time he had lost control so completely. He was torn from his thoughts when Scott cried out; a sound filled with pain and on the edge of death.

 

He moved quickly, grabbing Scott and throwing him over a shoulder. By the time they made it out of the warehouse, Scott’s heartbeat was so faint that Derek had to hold his breath just to find it. Derek set him down and tore his shirt open in an effort to get him more air. Scott’s breathing didn’t get any better and his body wasn’t healing itself. Derek knew he couldn’t get him to the house in time. He did the only thing he could think of.

 

“I’m really sorry about this.” He whispered to Scott before taking his arm and snapping it. For a moment nothing happened, and he was terrified that it was too late. Suddenly Scott’s eyes flew open blazing gold, and Derek gave a sigh of relief. He had successfully managed to kick start the beta’s healing.

 

*

 

Stiles could understand why this would be hard for Derek, but he didn’t understand the feelings of guilt that were practically assaulting him through the bond.

 

“Derek, you saved him. Why are you feeling guilty?”

 

“The hunter I…” he trailed off

 

“He was trying to kill someone. You were just protecting your pack mate. That’s your duty as an alpha.”

 

Derek shook his head and didn’t speak for several moments, but when he did his voice was flat and emotionless. “Two days later, Kate Argent cornered me in the parking lot of the grocery store. She started screaming at me about how I killed her fiancé and how I ruined her life. She told me she was going to find Scott and finish what she started. She got into her SUV and drove off. I chased her around town for an hour. Eventually she lead me back to the house. I could smell the fire immediately.” Derek’s voice cracked showing the first sign of emotion. “I arrived in time to see my uncle dragging my unconscious sister outside. Everyone else was already dead, my parents, my siblings, my cousins. They were all dead, because of me.”

 

Stiles tried to protest, but Derek interrupted him. “Kate came up behind me and said ‘now you shall suffer as I have. Never forget that you brought this upon yourself.’”

 

For once Stiles was speechless. Instead of speaking, he just nodded his head and started to remove his jacket. “What are you doing?” Derek asked perplexed  

 

“I’m going to shift and run. Care to join me?”

 

“Stiles, no you hate that.”

 

The thing people always forget about Omegas is that they can also shift to full wolf. Omegas very rarely shift to full wolf, and for good reason. Stiles had done it twice before and he had hated it. Unlike alphas, omegas have no control in that form. Their humanity is completely overshadowed by their baser nature. He had been terrified. He’d had enough humanity left to understand just how vulnerable he was.

 

“I don’t hate it. It just scares me. In order to let go and let the wolf take over, I need to know I’m safe. And who better to protect me than my Alpha?” Stiles, already mostly undressed, moved to take Derek’s face in his hands “There is no one I trust more than you. Okay? Besides, I want to run with my mate and forget all about this cluster fuck.” He said indicating their general vicinity.

 

“Okay” Derek agreed “We’ll run”

 

And run they did. For the rest of the night they ran, played, and even hunted – something Stiles hadn’t done for a long time. After they ate, they finally settled down. Derek’s massive wolf curled around Stile’s smaller form. Their thoughts were far from the troubles ahead.

  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to say that I love Allison and she is actually one of my favorite characters. sadly she is a useful plot device. 
> 
> Also apparently Laura is in a coma?
> 
>  
> 
> ~~I find myself in need of a beta. If anyone is interested leave a comment or come see me at my[Tumblr](http://ladyairla.tumblr.com/) ~~~~~~
> 
> Please leave feedback  
> <3  
> Airla


	12. Of Protection and Politics.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lydia and Isaac try to track the killer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! All of your feedback has been amazing so far. So I have great news for everyone who commented about needing a beta. Guess what? I got one! Thanks so much to [Ilovesocks_24](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Ilovesocks_24) who has been so amazing. 
> 
> This chapter contains a lot of information, so if you have any questions please ask.  
> Enjoy  
> <3 Airla

Isaac watched as Lydia moved about looking for footprints. So far he had seen her find footprints, climb trees, track scents and stalk animals. She had, of course, done all of this in four-inch pumps. Isaac sighed and said, “What are you even looking for? Whoever killed this girl is long gone.”

 

Lydia turned her head and levelled him with a look that made his testicles want to crawl back up into his stomach. “I am following this trail. It may be cold, but it’s still a trail.” She tilted her head to the side thoughtfully. “So, where is your little shadow?” she asked, voice dripping with disdain.

 

He knew how she felt. If people thought Becca was bad when they had to deal with her, then he dared them to try spending upwards of twelve hours a day with her. “She’s back at the house, hopefully, sleeping.” Isaac smirked. “Besides, she has all the grace of a tranquilized elephant. Not ideal for this sort of thing.” She laughed at that before turning her attention back to the forest floor.

 

Despite knowing each other for a week, they hadn’t really spoken much. However, there was something Isaac was curious about. “So, I’m guessing you haven’t told Stiles yet,” he started. “I can’t imagine he would have let you go out considering your condition.”

 

That got her attention. She whipped her head around, “I have no idea what you mean.”

 

He smirked; she knew exactly what he meant. “You know, about the cub.” She narrowed her eyes, and Isaac took that as a yes.

 

Lydia took a careful breath before responding “I’m not even going to ask how you knew that. And I haven’t even told Jackson yet,” she said as she finished examining the spot on the ground.

 

“I saw you with a pregnancy test back at your house and I just assumed. Is it a bad thing?” he asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

 

That seemed to catch her off guard. “What? No, it’s just that at first I didn’t want to overshadow Stiles’ big day. God knows with a brother like Jackson he never gets much attention. And now--” she trailed off before sighing deeply “Normally an Alpha heir having his or her first cub is the final step becoming a full Alpha. If their cub is healthy and their life is stable, then the current Alpha will step down. With everything happening, it puts both Jackson and I at risk. Not to mention what would happen if Dennel decided to use me as leverage.” She shuddered, and it was the most vulnerable that he had seen her yet, especially since she had been climbing trees and tracking scents earlier.

 

One comment stuck out to him though. She said that a cub was the last step before becoming full Alpha, but she had also said ‘normally’. He figured she meant about how Derek became Alpha because of the fire, but something was niggling at the back of his mind. He was about to let it go when it clicked. “Dennel was hitting on Stiles.” He blurted out and Lydia raised an eyebrow.

 

“Yes, he was trying to court him away from Derek.” She said as if this was old news which, technically, it was.

 

“That means he didn’t have a mate and therefore, cubs,” Isaac said.  Lydia raised an eyebrow at that. Isaac shot her a look before trying again. “You know what I mean. His life obviously wasn’t stable like you said it had to be to take over. So, why then, did he believe he should have become Alpha”

 

Lydia nodded then shook her head obviously struggling to find the right words. “I think he was getting too old. Even if an Alpha heir doesn’t mate, eventually they take over. The older Alphas get, the more they need to be in control, although apparently this urge subsides when their Alpha child is ready to ascend. It must have been killing Josh not to be a full Alpha.”

 

Isaac shook his head in confusion. He never could get a handle on Alpha politics. “I thought that he was a full Alpha.”

 

Lydia took her time before responding. “Normally in a situation like that, the heir would challenge their parent. Josh’s father, the true Dennel Alpha, said that he ran away. Since we know that Josh is a full Alpha, then we have to assume he found and killed a weaker Alpha. Obviously Josh felt that he wouldn’t have won a challenge against his father.” A challenge, Isaac knew, would have been to the death. Lydia continued “That means that Josh isn’t actually Alpha of the Dennel pack, but instead some smaller pack that is allied with one of the nine major packs. The question is which one was that pack previously allied with?”

 

“Why do we need to know that?” He asked confused

 

Lydia leveled him with a long suffering look. “Because, then we could figure out which Alpha he killed. And probably were he is hiding. It’s too early to know this, but I suspect he might have killed one of Derek’s Alphas. Derek has a lot of small packs that are secluded, right?”

 

Isaac nodded dumbfounded. Surely Derek would know if one of his Alphas were killed. He said as much to Lydia.

 

Lydia gave him a pained look. “Honestly, no. Changes in power happen all the time in smaller packs. It’s the duty of the new Alpha to inform the main Alpha.” Isaac must have looked confused because she clarified “In this case, Derek.”

 

Isaac groaned and put his face in his hands. “Okay, just to clarify, The Nine are the ‘main Alphas’ and in addition to having their own packs they have several smaller packs under their control adding to their power.”

 

Lydia beamed. “Exactly. So, we all know what happened when Derek and Josh last saw each other.”

 

“Yeah, Derek beat the shit out of him.” Isaac interjected gleefully.

 

Lydia glowered “Yes, that. I have a feeling that Josh will be seeking power. He is either jealous of Derek’s power or wants to be able to take over the Dennel pack. Honestly, I suspect it is probably some combination of both. In fact, that’s probably why he was trying to court Stiles in the first place. He needs a mate and cubs.”

 

Isaac was really feeling out of his depth. He dealt with protection not politics. “You said that the last step to becoming an Alpha was having children. Does that mean Derek isn’t a full Alpha?”

 

Lydia shook her head. “No, he’s a full Alpha. Okay, I’m going to explain this in the simplest way I know how. Alpha heirs are still technically Alphas. They are stronger and faster than betas. The difference between them and regular Alphas is that they don’t have the power that comes from having a pack. This brings us to the first and most common way a wolf becomes Alpha. Alphas transfer the responsibility, and subsequently the power, of their pack to the Alpha heir through a bite.”

 

Isaac knew this much. “How did Josh become Alpha then?“ He asked.

 

Lydia snorted. “The same way a beta becomes one, by killing an Alpha. For an Alpha heir, killing another Alpha transfers their power. For a beta, it turns them into an Alpha as well as giving them the pack.” She paused briefly before speaking again. “There are a few other ways for an Alpha heir to become an Alpha, but I won’t go into all that right now. As far as we’re concerned the only way for an alpha heir to become an alpha is to kill another alpha, or for the true alpha to step down. When I said that Alpha heirs generally have cubs before becoming full Alpha, I meant that it’s a clear indication to their Alpha that the heir is ready to take on the responsibility of the pack.”  

 

“If Josh doesn’t need a mate and cubs to be an Alpha, then why does he want Stiles?” Isaac asked frustrated.

 

Lydia sighed “Power. He want’s power. For an Alpha, Power comes from all of the wolves under their control. In fact, I suspect he is turning humans, and a lot of them.”

 

Isaac held up a hand to stop her from going off on a tangent. “Cubs,” he reminded her.

 

Lydia glared at him before speaking again. “Power is nothing without control. There is no stronger anchor for a wolf than their mate and children. It’s important to note that the stronger the mate is, the stronger the anchor will be. Stiles is a very powerful omega and a very desirable mate for that reason. So, in answer to your previous question about Derek not being a full Alpha, the answer is that he is a full Alpha. However, the addition of cubs would serve to make him much stronger.”

 

“How do you know all of this?” Isaac boggled.

 

Lydia smirked and flipped her hair over her shoulder. “It’s the omega’s job to council their Alpha. Therefore, I must be well educated.”

 

“Right,” Isaac replied before continuing on in relative silence.

 

They had barely made it a half-mile when an unmistakable scent hit Isaac’s nose, the scent of death. He turned to Lydia, and by the rigid set of her shoulders, it was clear she smelled it too. Before he could stop her, Lydia shot out in the direction of the horrible smell. He chased after her, determined to keep her safe. Her heartbeat picked up for a moment and skipped a beat. Isaac was immediately on her, trying to make sure she was okay,

 

“Lydia, are you okay? Calm down. You need to calm down. Think of the baby,” he said as he followed her.

 

“Isaac,” she said stoically, stopping him in his tracks.

 

He looked up to see that, though wearing a dark look, she was otherwise fine. “Isaac, just look,” she whispered.

 

Isaac followed her gaze, and immediately wished he hadn’t. There, in another clearing, was a pile of corpses. He had to restrain himself from vomiting and he moved closer to get a better look. Lydia’s arm came out and stopped him. “Careful, might be a trap.”

 

Upon closer inspection, it seemed that most of the corpses were large animals, but there were at least six people. He wasn’t sure how many were werewolves and how many were human. “Oh my God” he said, totally stunned.

 

Lydia just shook her head. “There is no way the hunters can ignore this.” 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have any questions feel free to ask me in the comments. Alternatively you can come visit me on [Tumblr](http://ladyairla.tumblr.com)  
> Please leave feedback. I adore your comments!


	13. Don't be strong for me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Investigating bodies and Sterek fluff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all!
> 
> Thanks to everyone for their wonderful comments. And, of course, thanks to my incredible beta [Ilovesocks_24](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Ilovesocks_24)! 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.   
> <3 Airla

Stiles could hardly believe how quickly everything had escalated. The same night that they had found the first body, Lydia and Isaac found multiple dead animals as well as four werewolves and two humans. It hadn`t stopped there. While on patrol, Erica found two more dead werewolves, an Omega and an Alpha. By the time Scott and Boyd got to the police station, the police had already found a dead werewolf and a dead human.

 

When Derek and Stiles had gotten back the afternoon after their late night run, the house had been in chaos. There was human law enforcement crawling all over the house and grounds. Apparently Boyd had been forced to report every murder that was found that night.

 

To make things worse, the police were hesitant to let Derek see the bodies. This was, of course, incredibly disrespectful to the Alpha. Stiles had to stop the betas from attacking the officer who had denied him access.

 

Stiles decided, given the current situation, that it was best to just explain the situation to the guy. “You’re fairly new, right?”

 

 The officer nodded, stricken silent by all of the growling werewolves.

 

 “And you don’t know a lot about werewolves, do you?”

 

The guy winced before responding “Not really, no.”

 

Stiles sighed “I know your handbook says that you have to deal with the enforcer when dealing with werewolf related crimes, but Derek is an Alpha. In fact he is a rather important Alpha, there is only one other Alpha in the country that holds equal status. To give you an idea, it would be the equivalent of you telling your president that he wasn’t allowed access. Not to mention that this is our land. You really don’t have authority here. The accords state that in wolf territory you have to abide by our laws and traditions. Even when there is a crime you believe non pack humans are involved in. And because our laws call for the enforcer to head any investigation, you have to take a backseat.” For added affect, Stiles flashed his eyes at the man. “So, now are you going to let us through?” The man nodded dumbly and motioned for them to follow.

 

The entire way to the clearing, Stiles couldn’t help but fume. He was furious, and even though he managed to stay in control, he had barely stopped himself from shifting. Stiles hated the human’s disrespectful attitude. It wasn’t fair that humans felt they didn’t need to know and respect werewolf culture. In schools, human politics were mandatory but werewolf studies were optional. It perpetuated ignorance and ignorance led to hate crimes. Not to mention the usual reason that humans got their throats ripped out was because they said something stupid to the wrong werewolf. In Stiles’ opinion, most of the issues between humans and werewolves could be fixed through proper education.

 

As soon as they entered the clearing where Erica had found the Alpha and Omega, Derek started growling. The sound radiated off of him until it broke off with a roaring howl. The sound was furious and mournful, and contained every word that couldn’t be spoken. It had ripped similar howls out of every werewolf present, including Stiles. Even more howls came in response from the distance.

 

When Stiles stopped howling, the first thing he noticed was the fear-filled faces of the humans. Despite everything, he wanted to laugh. Ever since the laws governing wolves came into effect, humans seemed to forget just how scary a werewolf could be, especially an Alpha.

 

The second thing he noticed was that every beta present was kneeling with their throat bared. Stiles figured that Derek’s cry must have wrung submission from them. It tended to happen when an Alpha lost control. It was like a defence mechanism for betas. Because they didn’t want to appear to be challenging their Alpha, they automatically submitted. Stiles knew that it was because an Alpha wouldn’t hesitate to eliminate a threat when he wasn’t in control. Even Jackson, who had a protective arm wrapped around Lydia, had adopted a nonthreatening stance.  

 

It appeared that everyone was terrified of Derek. Stiles knew they weren’t going to get anywhere like this. So when no one moved, even after several minutes, he decided to get Derek under control. Stiles squared his shoulders and moved toward his mate purposefully. Derek flashed his eyes and growled a warning not to get closer, but Stiles kept moving. When Stiles placed a hand on Derek’s shoulder, Derek snapped his teeth at him. Stiles growled back at his mate and then, without warning, closed his human teeth on Derek’s neck.

 

Immediately, there were gasps and Stiles could practically feel the betas tense and go on alert. Stiles knew this would be a foreign concept for them. Betas weren’t as in touch with their wolf side and, subsequently, didn’t understand what Stiles was doing. He needed to force down Derek’s wolf as it was currently taking over. His best option was to get Derek’s wolf to submit. A blunt bite like this would hopefully serve to not only supress Derek’s wolf, but also give his human side a physical anchor. When the betas started growling, Lydia spoke up. “No, it’s ok. This is completely natural for them.”

 

As soon as Stiles had bit down, Derek began struggling. Instead of running away, Stiles wrapped his arms around Derek’s waist and held on as best he could. He could feel Derek clawing at him and snapping at him with elongated teeth. Stiles let go of Derek’s neck for a moment to growl at him. “Alpha, let go,” he said sharply. He was appealing to the wolf, trying to tell him to let go and let the human side rise back up. Stiles clamped his teeth back down on Derek’s throat. It took several more moments of Derek thrashing, but he finally started to calm down. Stiles tightened his teeth on Derek’s neck, and finally Derek went lax in his arms. The collective sigh of relief was audible, and Stiles could hear the betas rising to their feet.

 

Stiles let go of Derek’s neck and immediately started lapping at the bite mark in a continued attempt to pacify Derek. When he was satisfied with the mark, he started nuzzling the side of his mate’s neck and whispering soft placating words. “Come back now Derek. We need our Alpha.”

 

Derek shuddered out another breath before speaking. “He is – He was, one of my Alphas” Derek’s gaze fell to the body of the former Alpha. “His name was Liam.” A haunted look crossed Derek’s face and he added in a quiet voice. “We went to High School together.”  

 

Stiles could feel the tug of grief on their bond. In response, he whined high in his throat and buried his face into Derek’s neck.  

 

Lydia spoke up, indicating the dead Omega. “So I’m guessing that the Omega is his mate.”

 

Derek nodded. “Cynthia, she was only eighteen.”

 

Stiles looked up from Derek’s neck in time to see Scott kick at a nearby tree stump. “I don’t understand why anyone would do this.” He said, obviously frustrated.

 

Stiles didn’t know either, but he could think of someone who might understand.

 

He looked to his best friend and she looked thoughtful like she was trying to fit the last piece of a puzzle. When Lydia noticed Stiles’ attention on her, she spoke up. “I think this is how Dennel became a full Alpha. Notice how these bodies are decomposed. I don’t know for sure, but they look to be dead about month. I think Josh must have killed Liam and his mate. That means that he has been a full Alpha for a month. During that time his urge to mate was probably growing stronger. Maybe that’s what made him go to Stiles’ party. He knew Stiles was an unmated Omega and went to see for himself if he could convince Stiles to mate with him.

 

One of the officers cleared his throat. He was obviously in charge as the others, who were still looking petrified, looked to him expectantly. “Ignoring the fact that you obviously have some information about what’s happened here, I would like to point out that none of the other bodies found looked to be dead longer than a day.”

 

Stiles thought about that for a moment. “Assuming that the dead betas were Liam’s pack, I have to wonder why Josh did it.”

 

Surprisingly, it was Boyd who responded. “What do you mean?” he asked.

 

Stiles shrugged a shoulder “An Alpha needs betas. Once he became Alpha the betas became his. Why would he kill them?”

 

Jackson spoke up for the first time since entering the clearing, “Dissention.” Stiles had no idea where Jackson was going with this, and judging by everyone else’s expressions, he wasn’t the only one who was confused. Except that Derek was nodding.

 

“It’s something they teach new Alpha’s not to do.” Derek said, voice tight and devoid of emotion. Stiles could tell he was putting a lot of effort into staying in control. Stiles resisted the primal urge to growl at the others present for seeing his mate like this. Instead, he settled for slipping his hand around Derek’s bicep and gripping it hard. Stiles wanted Derek to know that he was there for him. He hoped this particular touch would convey his desire to ground and anchor his mate.

 

“Yeah, wow, that’s really helpful for the rest of us.”  Boyd said, rolling his eyes.

 

Jackson snorted and said in his most patronizing voice, “Every time a new Alpha takes over, no matter how they do it, there will always be betas that are mad about it. Most of the time it doesn’t result in a challenge, but it can leave a pack divided. The easiest solution for an Alpha is also an Alpha’s first instinct. Because of their protective nature, Alphas will always want to eliminate a threat. Whether it be a threat to his pack, his mate, or to his status. As a result, new Alphas often kill any betas who oppose them.”

 

“That’s kind of barbaric.” Isaac said with a grimace.

 

Derek nodded. “That’s one of the reasons why Alpha heirs are taught not to do it. Once they do it, the only wolves left in the pack are either too scared to say anything or want to increase their rank within pack. It makes for a really bad relationship between The Alpha and his pack. In the end, as a whole, it actually makes them weaker.”

 

Stiles frowned and darted his eyes to the cops that were still hovering. “This is obviously a conversation better saved for another time.”

 

One of the younger officers snorted. “And I thought _he_ was meant to be the Alpha, but it looks like he lets his bitch do the talking.”

 

Derek snarled, but it was Jackson who acted. The Alpha heir was behind the officer with his claws at the human’s throat in seconds. “I am getting really tired of humans and their willful ignorance.” Jackson snarled increasing the pressure on the man’s throat. “You would think that they would make more of an effort not to piss of a predator.”

 

The man was struggling hard against Jacksons grip. “I’m sorry. Please,” he gasped out.

 

Jackson’s tone was deadly. “This is a lesson you are only going to get to learn once. So listen very closely. Werewolves treat Omega’s with the utmost respect and dignity. They are held in the highest esteem. Insulting or threatening one will always invoke the wrath of an Alpha. My brother is the son of Alpha Stilinski and the mate of Alpha Hale.  They are both members of The Nine. That means that there isn’t an Alpha on this continent that wouldn’t feel the need to protect him, even the psychopath that killed all of these people. I am telling you right now that this is probably the closest you have ever come to death.” Jackson tightened his grip again and waited several moments before releasing the officer. The man fell to the ground, tears pouring down his face.

 

Jackson looked smug that he had so thoroughly humiliated the guy. And in return Stiles couldn’t help the warmth that bloomed in his chest. Sure, most of the time Jackson was a dick, but he was always there for Stiles when he needed him.

 

With a growl, Derek straightened and adopted his Alpha stance. “You will take us to the other bodies. Then, we are going to go our separate ways because I know for a fact that some of my betas haven’t slept in over twenty four hours. You will do your job and remove the bodies. If at any point you get new information, you will contact my enforcer. Do not attempt to leave us out of your investigation. This is a werewolf crime. If I am correct, the only humans that died are the dead betas’ mates. That makes them members of my pack and therefore, as the accords state, our jurisdiction.” Derek’s tone left no room for argument.

 

Stiles knew that if this was the case and the humans were pack, then it would mean the police couldn’t interfere. But he also knew that it would have no effect on hunter interference.

 

*

 

Derek was totally exhausted. After seeing Liam, he had been taken to the sites of all the bodies. It had only confirmed his suspicions. Each body was no more than a day old, and all of them had belonged to Liam’s pack. That included the body of the human girl that they had found the previous night. The only comfort that news brought was that it got rid of the dammed police.

 

Derek knew that the town would be swarming with hunters within the week. That thought just served to dredge up old feelings. He was getting tired of feeling so inadequate, like he was a bad Alpha. He had completely lost control in the clearing. If it hadn’t been for Stiles, he might not have came back from it. Derek was more than aware that Stiles kept having to take authority in situations because of Derek’s own weaknesses. It wasn’t fair to his mate. He should be the one in control. Derek was older, Derek was Alpha.

 

Derek was startled out of his dark thoughts by the sound of hitching breaths coming from the shower. His gut clenched. His mate was crying. Derek was the worst Alpha ever. They had only been mated for three days and he had already failed to keep Stiles happy.

 

Derek made his way to the bathroom. In the shower with his back to Derek, Stiles was sobbing quietly. Derek was already shirtless, but he didn’t bother to take his jeans off before sliding open the door and entering the shower. As soon as he got into the shower, Stiles turned startled. He obviously hadn’t noticed Derek’s presence in the bathroom.

 

Stiles took a deep breath. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to – I know I’m meant to be strong.”

 

And that killed Derek because Stiles was only eighteen. He was meant to be going to college in a month, not worrying about a psychopathic Alpha. And Stiles had been so strong for him that Derek hadn’t even noticed how much his mate was suffering for it. “Not for me. Not when it’s just us.” He said soothingly. “You’ve been such a good mate, being strong for me and the pack. Protecting the pack just like you promised me you would.” Derek made Stiles a promise too. He promised to protect Stiles, and he intended to keep that promise.

 

“It’s just ridiculous, right?” Stiles blurted. “Like, how is this my life? We’ve been engaged for fourteen years. We were supposed to get mated and have our reception – and oh my god we never had our reception. I can’t believe I just thought of that. How many people were supposed to be coming to that? Seriously, Alphas and their mates from all across the continent were going to be there. Did Dad cancel it? Do people think we aren’t mated? Oh my god, we can’t just get mated and not tell people. That’s totally against every werewolf law there is.” Stiles’ breaths were getting shallow and quick. Derek recognized the signs of the beginning of a panic attack.

 

Derek cut Stiles off by pulling the omega into his chest and wrapping his arms around him. “Shhh Stiles it’s okay. We just postponed it. Don’t worry we will still have it.”

 

Stiles laughed darkly. “It isn’t about the reception, Derek. It’s about how everything is wrong. This was supposed to be easy it was supposed to be – ” Stiles cut off with a hitching sob.

 

Derek was familiar with Stiles’ panic attacks. He had gone to live with Stiles right after Stiles’ mother was shot by a hunter. Stiles used to get them all the time then. Derek pulled back moving his arms to cup his mates face and bring their foreheads together. “I’m here Stiles, I’m here. Breathe with me.” He took deep, purposeful breaths, trying to encourage Stiles to do the same. “Focus on my heartbeat and breathe with me.”

 

It took several minutes, but Derek finally got Stiles to calm down. He knew from past experience that Stiles would be worn out and wouldn’t want to talk. Derek figured that his mate needed Derek to take care of him. After being strong and taking control in Derek’s stead, Stiles would feel the need to submit. He was an Omega, and it was in his nature. So Derek stripped off his jeans and adjusted the water that had long since turned cold back to warm. He washed his mate gently and almost reverently. For his part, Stiles didn’t say a word. Not even to complain when Derek carried him to their bed.  

 

When they were finally in bed, nestled comfortably beneath the covers, Derek wrapped his arms around his mate, letting Stiles burrow into his side. In the quiet darkness, Derek whispered, “I will never let anything happen to you. I will always protect you.”

 

Whatever happened, in this moment Derek was okay. He had his mate safe in his arms, and he was okay.     

 

  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed that. 
> 
> Please leave feedback!
> 
> If you have any questions or just want to come say hi, then come visit me at my [Tumblr](http://www.ladyairla.tumblr.com)
> 
> <3 Airla


	14. Tensions Rising

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The stress of everything going on causes tension between our true mates. We also meet someone from Scott's past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Shuffles in awkwardly- So uh... my bad?
> 
> I can't even begin to apologize for how long this took to update. I don't have any excuses except to say real life really kicked my ass. I hope you all can forgive me. 
> 
> This chapter is a bit longer than the others in hopes that it will make up for it's lateness. A lot of work has gone into it. I really need to thank my incredible beta, [Ilovesocks_24](http://archiveofourown.org/users/ilovesocks_24), without whom this chapter would never have been finished. 
> 
> If anyone's interested, [here](http://cdn4.fishpond.co.nz/0031/484/210/31848972/5.jpeg) is the necklace Stiles finds in this chapter. 
> 
> I haven't updated in a while, so I'd love some comments telling me how I did!

“Dude, how did I not know this was here?” Stiles asked, excited.

 

Scott shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. I mean, you’ve only been here for three weeks. I don’t get why you’re so excited. It’s only an outdoor market.”

 

Stiles looked at Scott like he was crazy. It didn’t matter that they were only getting supplies for dinner; he was excited. “Are you kidding me? I never got to go to places like this before. I’m an Omega, man. When we’re unmated, we don’t exactly get to be around large groups of people. The closest thing to this was clothes shopping with Lydia, and that was in private stores with at least four of my father’s betas.”

 

Stiles abruptly stopped at one of the booths. It sold handmade accessories, and it appeared to be run by the old lady behind the counter. She was speaking to them, but Stiles’ attention was focused on what had drawn him to the stand in the first place. It was a simple necklace. Just simple brown chorded leather. The pendant, however, was unlike anything he had ever seen.

 

“Stiles?” The question startled him out of his thoughts, and he looked up to see Scott staring at him. “Dude, what is it?”

 

Stiles looked to the woman who was staring intently back at him. “May I?” He asked. She nodded her head. Stiles carefully lifted the necklace off of the rack and turned to Scott. He laid the pendant flat in his palm and held it up for Scott to see. “See the triangle? The way it’s made from three interconnecting lines? Well, that’s my house’s symbol. Not the pack’s, but specifically my family’s. Now look inside of the triangle, the symbol in the centre there.” He indicated the small triskele that was positioned inside the triangle. “Does that look familiar?”

 

Scott frowned in concentration. “Yeah, I’ve definitely seen this before, but I’m not sure where.”

 

Stiles chuckled at that. “You’ve probably seen it around the house, on top of doorways, molded into base boards, that sort of thing.  It’s the symbol of the Hale family. It’s called a triskele.”

 

Scott’s eyes widened in recognition. “Oh, so it’s like a family crest?”

 

Stiles was about to respond when the old lady beat him to it. “Not quite, dear. Werewolves don’t have crests because they’re too complex. Instead, they use simple symbols, usually of Celtic origin. Do you know why they’re so simple?” She asked, looking at Stiles. He shook his head in reply. “Before this silly business of wearing specific colors to represent allegiance to a pack, werewolves used to be branded with these symbols.”

 

Scott’s eyes went wide. “Branded?”

 

She nodded her head, “With ink and fire.” She smiled at Stiles. “Omega Hale, I should congratulate you on your mating.”

 

Stiles was actually surprised she knew who he was. Even though his father and brother were prominent members of society, Stiles had been kept away from the limelight. As a rule, packs kept their unmated Omegas as protected and sheltered as possible. This kept him from being in the news, and subsequently, recognized by sight rather than just scent. It was especially unusual for a human to take enough interest in werewolf politics that they’d know about him. But, he supposed anyone who knew as much about their history as this woman did would try to keep up.

 

It took Stiles a minute to remember his manners. Unsure of what to say he settled on, “Thank you, ma’am.”

 

Scott eyed her warily. “How do you know so much about werewolves? You obviously aren’t one.”

 

The woman scoffed. “How very closed-minded of you. You don’t need to be a werewolf to belong to a pack. Your friend here knows that well.” It was true. Stiles’ family had a long history of aligning themselves with humans. “Though I suppose the Hale pack isn’t too trusting of humans these days.”

 

Scott practically snarled at her. Stiles sighed and settled a comforting hand on Scott’s shoulder. “That’s actually very interesting, but I have to wonder why you combined the two. I’ve never seen that before.”

 

The woman laughed. “My dear boy, I did not make this. I admit that the chord is mine, but this pendant is very old, almost as old as I am.” 

 

Stiles eyed her skeptically. “And how old are you, exactly?”

 

The woman’s easy grin turned wry. “I’m old enough to know better than to tell you something like that.” Her expression turned serious and she leaned in close. “I will tell you this. In a time of great war, with all the rival packs fighting for territory, your family combined with that of your mate’s. They formed one large pack together. This was the symbol that was branded on each of their soldiers.”

 

Scott spoke up then. “Did they win?” He said it as if it were a game rather than bloodshed. Stiles had to wonder how Scott could stay so unfazed by the idea of war despite the fact that he’d lived it, or at least, a taste of it.

 

The woman waved a dismissive hand. “Yes, of course they did. They were already two extremely powerful packs, and when they combined, they were practically unstoppable.” It made sense, in a way. The entire country was divided equally between the Stilinski and Hale packs. Stiles figured that was the inevitable outcome of winning a territory war.

 

What Stiles didn’t understand was how he’d never heard any of this before. He sighed, so much of their history had been lost over the years and people like this woman, people who remembered, were few and far between. The simple fact was a large portion of their history had been lost in various fires over the years. What had happened to Derek’s family was not an entirely uncommon occurrence for their kind. It had been the leading kind of hate crime many years ago, probably because of werewolves’ vulnerability to fire. Still, Derek’s family was the first to burn like that since the accords that had been made with humans almost a hundred years prior.  

 

Scott seemed to be thinking hard about something. After a long moment, his expression smoothed out and he asked, “But why wouldn’t the other packs just band together too? And if they were that powerful, why would they ever separate again?” It was actually a valid question, one Stiles was eager to hear the answer to.

 

The woman snorted. “I think you’ll find that the answer is the same for both of those questions. Alphas that are accustomed to that much power don’t share well. None of the other head Alphas could put aside their pride to work together, and the ones who did, could only stand it for so long. They were always battling for dominance.”

 

Stiles listened, surprisingly fascinated. “Not that I’m not enjoying this, because I totally am, I’m just wondering why you’re telling us about this.”

 

She shrugged a bony shoulder. “You asked why the two symbols were combined. I was simply answering your question. I also think the knowledge might prove useful. There is so much to be learned from the past.”

 

Stiles narrowed his eyes at her just slightly. There was something about her that was making him wary. Perhaps it was how much she reminded him of his father’s shaman, Deaton. That man had always unnerved him. “So, how much do you want for the necklace?”  He asked cautiously.

 

She waved her hand again. “I’m not going to charge you for something that technically, belongs to you. I will give you that necklace, and with it a piece of advice.” She looked at him seriously before saying, “The situation wasn’t ideal, but it worked.” With that, the woman turned away and started talking to the other customers again. As cryptic as her words were, it definitely gave him something to think about.

 

Ignoring Scott’s worried gaze, Stiles shrugged and slipped the necklace around his neck. As they were walking away, Scott whispered furiously, “Dude, what the hell? Don’t tell me you’re actually going to keep that thing. It could be cursed or something.”

 

Stiles levelled Scott with a dubious look. “Yes, I’m sure that it will bring upon the apocalypse. Oh, oh, maybe it’ll get me trampled by a herd of rogue centaurs. And, if it’s _really_ cursed, we might even be turned into a boy band.” He frowned thoughtfully at that. “Actually, I’m not too sure if that would be all that bad.”

 

“Stiles—”

 

“I mean I guess it depends on the boy band.”

 

“Stiles.”

 

“Like if it’s the Backstreet Boys, I think I’d be okay with that. But if it’s One Direction, forget about it.”

 

“Stiles!”

 

Stiles spun around to face Scott. “Dude, what?”

 

Scott made a put upon sigh. “Have you forgotten what we were doing here in the first place?”

 

“Getting away from Derek and his ever present scowl?” Stiles suggested weakly.

 

Scott looked like he was trying to supress a laugh. “No, we are getting supplies for dinner. We’re all having dinner and talking about the murders.”

 

“Am I the only one who thinks that’s a little morbid?” Stiles asked with a grimace. “I mean, only we would sit down to a nice dinner and talk about the gruesome killing spree our mortal enemy decided to go on.” Stiles spotted a stand that was selling homemade pasta and quickly made his way over to it.

 

 Scott put a hand on Stiles’ arm.  “You know we need to talk about what we’ve found out so far. I think Boyd got a lead from the police.”

 

Stiles was too busy inspecting the cannelloni to pay attention to Scott’s words. “Mhhm. Police want to talk, I got it.”

 

“Stiles, that’s not what I was saying. I was saying—” Stiles had heard all of this before, so he just tuned Scott out. He was debating between the cannelloni and the rigatoni when he caught sight of a beautiful, brown haired girl. She had dimples and big, brown Bambi eyes that were fixed directly on Stiles. No, wait. Not Stiles, Scott. She was staring intently at Scott. Stiles followed her gaze only to see that Scott was still babbling on at him. He shifted his focus back to the girl, and yep, she was still staring at Scott.

 

“Dude, don’t look now but there is a really hot chick staring into your soul. It’s actually a little creepy. I’m not sure if she wants to screw you or kill you, maybe both?” Stiles said, cutting Scott off.

 

Scott blinked at him slowly for a minute before turning to get a look at the girl. His reaction was instantaneous. Stiles heard his heart skip a beat before beating rapidly. Scott shot a hand out to grip at Stiles’ wrist and tugged. When he spoke, Scott’s voice was panicked. “Come on, we have to go. We’ve been gone too long.”

 

“But—but, what about my cannelloni?” Stiles whined. He wanted that pasta, dammit.

 

“We’ll order pizza or something. Come on, it’s time to go.” Scott said, practically dragging Stiles alongside him.

 

*

 

Derek dragged a hand through his hair and groaned. “Are you absolutely certain it was her?”

 

Scott scowled at him. “I think I would know my own ex-girlfriend, Derek.”

 

He knew it was too much to ask, but Derek really wished there was some mistake. “Are you sure it wasn’t just someone who looked like her? Maybe they just had the same perfume.” Derek had known the hunters were coming, but he had really hoped it wouldn’t be the Argents.

 

“Derek, she was packing a cross bow. It was definitely her.” Scott said, almost dejectedly. Derek felt bad for the guy, he really did. This was the girl that betrayed him. He was almost certain that Scott hadn’t seen her since the incident with Kate. And suddenly, she was back in town. Derek could already see the changes in Scott. His easy-going nature and confidence had taken a massive hit. If he wasn’t so worried about the absolute shit storm coming their way, Derek would be trying to comfort Scott.

 

Or, well, convincing Stiles to comfort him.

 

“My question is who the hell brings a cross bow to a market? I mean it’s just a bunch of hippies and little old ladies. Was she expecting a fight to break out over the last strawberry rhubarb pie?” Stiles asked from where he was lounging in Derek’s armchair.

 

Derek growled at Stiles, unamused. “Do you really think now is an appropriate time for jokes?” He asked sharply.

 

Derek had been looking through flight records, in an attempt to track Josh down, when Scott had dragged Stiles into his office and started going on about seeing Allison at the market.  He was already stressed enough as it was. The last thing he needed was his own mate not taking this seriously.

 

Stiles just rolled his eyes. “Who pissed in your cornflakes? Lighten up, Derek. It was just a joke.”

  

“Lighten up?” Derek practically snarled. “Do you have any idea how serious this is?” To be honest, Derek was getting a little sick of Stiles’ carefree attitude about this whole situation.

 

“No, Derek. I am completely incapable of understanding the severity of this situation.” Stiles said sarcastically. “Or maybe, I’m trying to get you to smile before you have a freaking aneurism or something.”

 

Derek glowered at Stiles and he turned back to Scott. “Was she alone? Was her father there?”

 

Scott shook his head. “No, as far as I could tell, no one was with her.”

 

Stiles snorted and said, voice brimming with sarcasm, “Yeah, because we stuck around so long to find out.” Derek shot Stiles yet another pointed look. Stiles just stared back.

 

“Well, where there’s one Argent, the others are sure to follow.” Derek said bitterly. “Now that we know they’re in town, we’ll have to keep a watchful eye. I will not have them causing another war.”

 

He watched as Stiles shifted his eyes away and swallowed. That was probably the first crack in Stiles’ bravado Derek had seen since he’d found him crying in the shower. Derek was struck with another burst of guilt. He shouldn’t be so upset with Stiles for acting that way.

 

As long as Derek’s known him, Stiles has used talking to his advantage. Derek has watched Stiles deflect questions about his wellbeing by changing the subject with inane babble. He’d seen Stiles stop fights before they could even start just by talking. This was no different.

 

This time Stiles was using sarcasm. Derek knew well that sarcasm was his defence mechanism. Stiles used it for protection constantly, and Derek has always seen that. He saw it now too. He just didn’t know who Stiles was protecting, himself or Derek.

 

The thought of Stiles doing either made Derek see red. As an Omega, Stiles’ job was to think about the pack. Derek was supposed to be the one to take care of him, leaving Stiles free to focus on the pack. Stiles didn’t trust him to do that. He obviously hadn’t proved his ability or willingness to protect and provide for Stiles.

 

Guilt curled in Derek’s gut, threatening to suffocate him. Part of him resented the fact that he was expected to take care of both Stiles and the pack, but that thought only made him feel worse.

 

They were only three weeks into being mated. He and Stiles were supposed to be doing a tour of all the packs in their territory. They were _supposed_ to still be in the honeymoon stage. Instead, they were dealing with the constant threat of both Dennel and hunters.

 

Derek didn’t want to remember how excited Stiles had been while planning their reception and tour. Every time he looked at Stiles, Derek couldn’t help but think he was dragging Stiles down with him. He didn’t want Stiles to be surrounded by darkness, the same darkness that Derek was all too familiar with.

 

Derek shook the thought. He couldn’t focus on that now. Right now, they needed to deal with this threat He sighed and directed his attention to Scott. “Get everyone together. We need to figure out how to proceed, and this is definitely something that we need to discuss.”

 

There was a time when Derek would have tried to come to a decision on his own. After everything he’d been through with hunters, he knew better. He wasn’t a new Alpha anymore, and Derek now knew that he could trust his highest-ranking betas. They were his inner circle, and they all lived with him for a reason. In a traditional pack, with all family members surviving, those positions would be filled by direct family. As it was, these betas were his family now. And Stiles, he couldn’t forget about his infuriating mate. He’d always been Derek’s family. Since the first moment Derek laid eyes on him, he’d known that Stiles would be at the centre of his family, his pack.

 

*

 

Everyone in the house has all noticed it. It’s not that anyone’s surprised, per say, but no one had expected it to happen so soon. The betas may not know Stiles all that well, but they know Derek. They know how grumpy he is. ‘ _For the love of God, Derek, Stop looking like someone’s just kicked your puppy. It’s called vegetarian, and it’s not going to kill you_.’

 

They know that he can be uptight at times, ‘ _Sometimes I think the stick up your ass has a stick up its ass_.’

 

They also know that he can get into these moods where he doesn’t want to see or speak with anyone. ‘ _Derek, if you don’t get your broody ass in here and have dinner with your pack like a civilized werewolf, I’m going to give your share to Scott, and you can have those stupid protein bars for the rest of your life_.’

 

It’s not like they weren’t expecting for Derek’s personality to clash with any possible mate. It’s just that they weren’t expecting it to happen quite so often. Stiles and Derek had just managed to fight over every possible thing they could between the time Stiles ordered the pizza and they all sat down for dinner.

 

On the outside, it seemed playful. Stiles’ words and Derek’s reaction were indicative of a long established routine. But there was s something about the way they were doing it, that had a cutting edge.

 

Isaac has always been relatively in tune with people’s emotions. Erica said it might be because of his past, but he doesn’t really read too much into it. It’s not just that he’s observant – Which, granted, he is. Isaac knows to use more of his senses than just sight to try and read peoples moods – It’s more that he happens to be better in tune with their pack bonds than the other betas. He’s been told that the way he reads the pack bonds and empathizes with pack members is similar to the way an Omega might.

 

Despite the fact that the others weren’t as perceptive as he was, Isaac knew that they’d noticed it too. There was an incredibly tense air between Derek and Stiles, and none of the pack had any idea what was causing it. He knew there hadn’t been a particularly huge blow up between Derek and Stiles, there had been a few fights over small things, but nothing major. So he just assumed that the stress of everything going on was getting to them.

 

Stiles and the betas were sitting in awkward silence as they waited for Derek to join them at the table. Everyone was tense because Stiles had just growled at Scott and Erica for trying to serve themselves. Isaac figured Stiles had been waiting for Derek because etiquette dictated that the Alpha had to be present and served first before anyone else could eat. Isaac had to admit, he was confused. Despite the fact that Stiles actually came across as rebellious, often vocally disputing certain laws and traditional values, he seemed to value the most random customs.

 

Stiles rolled his eyes but immediately started putting pizza on a plate. Derek reached for the box but received the same warning growl from Stiles as Erica and Scott had. Derek looked around, face dawning a confused expression. “Why the hell isn’t anyone eating?” He asked, grumpy as ever.

 

Everyone looked at Stiles expectantly. Unfazed by the sudden attention he was getting, Stiles handed the plate over to Derek and shrugged. “Alpha eats first.”

Derek didn’t reply except to huff out a breath and take a bite.  Isaac watched Stiles fill another plate and hand this one to Jackson. Then two more, handing one to Lydia and keeping the other for himself. He then sat back, gesturing for the others to go ahead.

 

Isaac flicked his gaze to Derek and frowned. Derek was scowling, looking seriously put out by Stiles’ actions. Isaac looked at the others, most of who were attacking the pizza boxes, and noticed that Becca was grimacing. He was actually considering asking her what was wrong when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

 

Isaac turned to see Danny holding out a plate for him. He accepted the pizza with a grin and immediately took a grateful bite. The dimpled smile he’d gotten in return had been so distracting, he hadn’t noticed Derek’s scowl getting worse.  

 

 A minute later, Peter’s voice rose above the low level chatter. “Stiles, it’s so nice to see that someone still has manners.” This was definitely Peter causing trouble, and it made Isaac want to hit him.

 

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Derek said, rolling his eyes.

 

Stiles glared at Derek and asked, voice cold, “What’s the problem now?” Isaac sighed. This was the first meal they’d attempted to have together since Stiles’ arrival, and he figured it was about to end in tears.

 

Derek shrugged.  “There’s no problem. I just can’t believe you actually want to follow such an archaic and pointless rule.”

 

Stiles was grinding his teeth so hard, Isaac had no problem hearing it from where he was. “It’s not pointless. Your pack needs to know about stuff like this, or they’re going to really piss someone off one day.”

 

“This isn’t a formal dinner, Stiles. We’re eating pizza out of a box for Christ sakes. I don’t know who you’re trying to impress.” Derek practically spat the words and Isaac winced a little. Stiles’ face hardened, and Isaac didn’t need pack bonds to know that had really hurt him.

 

Stiles glared at Derek and said, “What, my brother and his mate don’t warrant good manners? He may be your friend, Derek, but he’s also Alpha heir of a prominent pack, and he deserves more respect than that. Do you know who shit like this reflects on? If Lydia were any other Omega, I’d never hear the end of it.”

 

Derek laughed coldly. “Shit like this? Do you even hear yourself? If you’re so worried about your reputation, maybe you shouldn’t go around swearing like some common beta.”

 

Stiles looked furious at that. “What are you implying?” He asked. Isaac was surprised he’d managed to get the sentence out with his jaw clenched so hard.

 

“I’m saying that maybe you should worry a little less about how the pack reflects on you, and think about how your actions reflect on them.” Derek actually looked a little shocked at his own words. Isaac wondered if he regretted them. Isaac knows he would if he had said them. Still, if he knew anything about Derek, it was that he was ridiculously stubborn. Which is probably why he felt the need to add, “So excuse me for not caring about a rule that doesn’t matter to anyone.”

 

Stiles’ face was a combination of hurt and anger as he pushed his chair back and stood. “It matters to me.” His voice was icy as he turned on his heel before promptly storming off.

 

They sat, the uncomfortable silence practically suffocating them. It was Becca who broke it. “What’s his problem?” Her tone was so bitchy, so disrespectful that Isaac thought he might actually follow through on his threats of physical violence.

 

Surprisingly, it was Jackson who responded. “When it came to meals, that was the rule our mother enforced most.” He turned his gaze to glare at Derek before saying, voice icy, “But of course Derek didn’t know that. It’s not like he lived with us for years after she died and ate with us every night or anything.” Lydia looked at Jackson sharply and hissed something under her breath, too low for the rest of them to hear. Jackson just shrugged. “What? It’s not like we kept doing it for our benefit. Stiles did it because mom always said it made Dad happy.”

 

Isaac understood what Jackson was implying. Derek had asked Stiles who he’d been trying to impress, and Jackson was saying that Stiles had done it to please Derek. The same way his mother had done it to please her mate. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know whether or not Derek had picked up on Jackson’s words too, so Isaac avoided looking at his face by turning his attention back to his pizza.

 

The tension in the air was thick, and Isaac was grateful for Danny’s large hand settling on his thigh. If anyone knew how any strain in the pack affected Isaac, it was his Danny. The touch was comforting, and he lifted his head to smile softly at Danny, glad now that they had gotten past their own petty squabbles.

 

The tentative silence was broken by the sound of a chair being scraped back against the floor roughly. Everyone’s attention snapped back to Derek who was standing, plate full of uneaten food in hand. Isaac watched as Derek stalked into the kitchen, dumped his pizza into the garbage and then stomped up the stairs. Despite his hopes that Derek had gone after Stiles, Isaac wasn’t particularly surprised to hear the door of Derek’s study slam shut.

 

*

 

Stiles knew he was overreacting, knew he was acting like a petulant child, but he didn’t care. Derek was being just as juvenile and bitter, if not more so. Stiles was tired, so incredibly tired. He and Derek had spent the past three weeks at each other’s throats. Stiles had almost forgotten just how much Derek got under his skin. When Derek had lived with his family in New York, the two of them had spent a good deal of time bickering and trading jabs. It had never really been like this, though. It had never been so cruel, so cutting.

 

His mother had warned him that taking on the responsibility of a pack, especially one the size of Derek’s, would take its toll on him. He could feel it from the moment Derek had claimed him. Stiles had felt more than just responsible for the pack. He’d felt protective, but he’d also felt like he had finally found his place.

 

It was weird feeling. Stiles finally felt like he belonged, but at the same time, he was more stressed than he’d ever been.

 

He hadn’t realised just how much of a burden all the pack’s problems were becoming. He could never have predicted the shit storm that was his life at the moment.

 

The thing was, though, Stiles knew Derek was feeling it too. He understood exactly why his mate was going back to being withdrawn and angry like he’d been after the fire. Stiles had barely even heard from Derek in the first year after the fire, he’d been too busy with the raging war between his pack and the hunters. Even when he had called, Derek had been curt and his words had been sharp. Stiles didn’t want to admit it, but this was starting to feel an awful lot like the same thing all over again.

 

He knew it was natural for an Alpha and his mate to be the primary bearers of stress in a pack. He also knew that there was no way the mated pair could ever get through it unless they worked together. Stiles’ problem was that he couldn’t get Derek to open up. Everything he tried just seemed to annoy Derek further, and they both ended up getting caught in a cycle of obstinacy.

 

Stiles couldn’t do this again. He steadfastly refused to spend another night pretending like he wasn’t waiting for Derek to leave his study and join him in bed. He couldn’t let himself be hopeful when his mate came in, only to be disappointed when Derek just lay on the other side of the bed stiffly until he fell asleep.

 

Derek had hardly even touched Stiles in the past few weeks. At one point, in the aftermath of yet another fight, Derek had rolled Stiles over and fucked him relentlessly. It had been good, so very good, but it had left Stiles feeling empty and alone, especially when Derek had pulled out of him and immediately left to shower and return to his office.

 

Stiles just needed to get away, even if it was just for a couple of hours. He needed some fresh air and space. He figured it was because of the almost radio silence coming from their mate bond. Mates weren’t supposed to shut each other out like this. None the less, Derek was purposefully blocking him out. Not that Stiles could blame him. He’d been doing the same thing for days now.

 

Stiles didn’t really think twice about sneaking out. He’d simply strained his ears to make sure nobody was close to his bedroom and slid the window open. Once the window was fully raised, Stiles scanned the area for his options. There was a tree nearby, and he figured the branch closest to him would be able to hold his weight… probably.

 

In a show of entirely characteristic recklessness, He coiled himself up before springing forward, grateful for his lean muscle and natural agility. Not that Derek’s strength and bulk would have stopped him from doing the same. The guy was a freaking acrobat or something, the bastard. He mentally chastised himself for thinking about Derek again as he shimmied down from the tree and made his way into the woods.

 

Stiles would have taken great pleasure in taking one of Derek’s ridiculously expensive cars to town, maybe even wrecking it in the process, but couldn’t because it would alert the others to his leaving. As it was, it only took Stiles about fifteen minutes to make it into town on foot. If there was one thing Stiles was, it was fast.

 

Stiles took a deep breath as he walked the streets, trying to find somewhere to go. Despite the fact that the air was noticeably cleaner in the woods, Stiles finally felt like he could breathe again. After looking around for a while, he settled on a café that smelled like cinnamon and darkly roasted coffee beans. He scented the air again, satisfied to find the shop run by humans. The last thing he needed was for a member of his pack to recognize his scent and wonder why he was out without an escort or bodyguard.

 

Stiles had only just sat down on one of the plush chairs in the back corner of the shop, tea in hand, when someone cleared their throat.

 

“Omega Hale?” The voice asked, cautious. 

 

Stiles sighed; he’d really just wanted to spend some time alone. Still, he was first Omega of the Hale pack and the Alpha’s mate, so he had appearances to keep up. Stiles plastered on the most sincere smile he could muster and raised his gaze.

 

He was surprised to find the figure smiling down at him wasn’t a werewolf at all. She was human, beautiful with long, dark hair. She had a smile that lit up her face and dimpled her cheeks. In his surprise at seeing the now familiar girl, Stiles jerked, effectively spilling scalding hot tea on his lap. “Oh, shit.” He exclaimed, putting the cup down and searching around the table for napkins.

 

A slender hand held out a couple of napkins, and Stiles forced himself to look up to meet Allison Argent’s gaze.

 

 

She spoke again, voice lilting but sincere, “Omega Hale, we need to talk.”

 

Stiles sighed because, shit, he was in serious trouble.  

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaannnd just when you guys were praising me for having Stiles and Derek communicate, I go and do this. 
> 
> Thanks to everyone for sticking with this story despite the time gap, and hopefully the next update will come a lot sooner. 
> 
> Come visit me on my [tumblr](http://ladyairla.tumblr.com/)


	15. Diplomacy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be honest, I wasn't really planning to continue this. After I posted the last chapter, shit got kind of real for me. I honestly didn't mean to abandon this, but I needed to let it go at least for a little while. 
> 
> Recently though, I've gotten a lot of interest in an update, and since I already had this chapter mostly written, I revised it a little and decided to post it. 
> 
> Thanks to ILovesocks_24 for the help on this chapter all those months ago :D *All mistakes are my own.* 
> 
> Anywho, enjoy!
> 
> P.S. Since it's been so long since I last updated, I recommend you reread chapter 14.

Stiles stared at Allison, unwilling to speak. After several moments, he snorted and turned to storm out. Did she really think Stiles was that stupid? At best, this was a cruel joke at Derek’s expense. At worst, it was going to be a trick ending in the destruction of his pack. Stiles would have no part in it.  

 

Stiles was halfway out the door when Allison’s grabbed his arm. Her grip was tight, and Stiles couldn’t pull away without causing a scene. Dammit, why had he chosen a human café? Were he at a werewolf place, ten people would have jumped to his aide by now.   

 

Stiles knew that the right thing to do in this situation was to pull his arm away and leave. He shouldn’t be engaging her at all.  Talking to a hunter went against everything he’d ever been taught. As an Omega, he was never supposed to deal directly with threats.

 

But Allison’s eyes were wide and she was pleading with him. “ _Please_ , you have to listen to me. You don’t understand. I’m the only one who can help you.” 

 

Stiles thought of the fire, thought of how broken Derek was now. He remembered the way Scott’s heart had started pounding in fear when he saw Allison at the market. The thought of his pack in pain firmed his resolve. He wrenched his arm out of his grip and spit back at her, “Oh believe me, you’ve _helped_ enough.”

 

Stiles turned to leave, and was, once again, stopped in his tracks.

 

“This is going to end in war.” Her voice was firm and unwavering. It wasn’t a threat, not really. More like she was just stating a fact. Stiles’ back stiffened but he didn’t turn. “Is that what you want? Because the Hale pack barely made it out alive last time.”

 

Stiles whipped back around, snarling. “How dare you!?”

 

Allison held up her hands to placate him, but didn’t back down. “You’re an Omega. A desire for war goes against your nature. I’m offering you help, a chance to save your pack from destruction.”

 

Stiles grit his teeth. He shouldn’t even consider this. It was probably a trap, but Stiles just couldn’t resist. His curiosity had always gotten the better of him.

 

Stiles eyed Allison for several moments. She looked nervous but smiled sweetly back at him. He nodded jerkily before leading the way back to his table. It took everything in him to ignore the people staring. All he wanted to do was snarl at them, to tell them to mind their own business, but he couldn’t. After taking a seat, Stiles took a deep breath and asked, “What is it you wish to discuss?” He spoke formally, the way he did with anyone who wasn’t pack.

 

“I know what you must think of me, Omega Hale. I imagine Scott has told you all about me.” Allison said, fidgeting with her coffee cup.

 

Stiles raised an eyebrow. “That didn’t answer my question.”

 

She ducked her head a little, smiling.  “Humor me?”

 

In actual fact, Derek had been the one who’d told him, not Scott. But that didn’t matter. It didn’t change what she’d done. “I’m well aware of the situation, yes.” He spit the words like poison.

 

“I—” She broke off and bit her lip. After a long moment, she spoke again. “There is more to what happened than Scott knows. I want to give you my side of the story.”

 

Stiles crossed his arms petulantly. “Why should I listen to you?” She opened her mouth to speak, but Stiles continued before she could. “I can give you multiple reasons why I shouldn’t. For starters, you broke Scott’s heart; you betrayed him and almost got him killed; you _succeeded_ in getting the Hale family killed; and, from what I hear, you shot my mate with that crossbow of yours.”

 

She flushed, looking down. “I’m sorry about all of that, but I didn’t know anything about the fire. I would never have agreed to that.” She looked up and met his gaze. “I never wanted Scott to get hurt. That was the last thing I wanted. I love Scott. I would never hurt him intentionally.”

 

Stiles didn’t miss the way she said love, present tense. He softened, damned his romantic Omega heart.  “Why do you want to tell me, of all people?” She better not think he would be weaker because of his gender. His heart wasn’t that soft.

 

Allison fidgeted with her cup, looking apprehensive. “I’ve heard a lot about your mate. Everyone says he can be incredibly stubborn. Scott said that one time he—” She stopped abruptly, letting her expression fall back to impassive. She’d started smiling as soon as she’d mentioned Scott. “My point is that you’re probably the only person who’s going to get him to see reason. He’s not going to want to deal with me, and trust me when I say that you’re going to need my help.”

 

She wasn’t lying, not outright at least. Whether deceiving him or not, she honestly thought they needed her. Stiles sat back and uncrossed his arms. “I’m listening.”

 

 *

 

Scott paced in the living room, restless. He should really go check on Stiles, but he had no idea what to say. He felt partially responsible for the incident at dinner. Sure, Derek was the one who’d acted like a prick, but he had tried to serve himself and caused the fight.  

 

Were the situation reversed, Scott knows that Stiles would have gone to him. It was ridiculous to think they’d become such good friends in such a short time. Just the other day, Stiles had said they were practically soul mates, and they’d both laughed at Derek’s angry growl.

                                            

The problem was that Scott tended to say the wrong thing. Isaac had once sat him down and explained that sometimes it was best not to get involved. That despite his best intentions, Scott sometimes made situations worse.

 

Maybe Stiles wouldn’t want to talk. Maybe they could just cuddle. Scott brightened at the idea because cuddling would make him feel better too. Scott didn’t think there was a werewolf alive that didn’t like cuddling with their Alpha’s mate. Omegas were extremely tactile, and wolves generally found comfort in their touch.

 

Scott’s brain clearly planned to run with the idea. Before he knew it, he was up the stairs and standing outside Derek’s room.

 

He shifted awkwardly when Stiles failed to answer again. Scott had expected Stiles to at least open the door and talk to him.

 

Scott went to put his hand on the doorknob but stopped himself. No one in the house was allowed in Derek’s room, and they never had been. It was Derek’s territory, his den, and he didn’t want anyone invading it.

 

Since Stiles’ arrival, Derek had been even more wary of people going near it. Scott supposed it was because the room wasn’t just Derek’s den anymore; it was Stiles’ too.

 

Scott dropped his hand and listened intently instead. All that greeted him was silence. He sighed and turned on his heel, figuring Stiles just wanted alone time.

 

Scott was halfway down the hall when he processed what he’d heard. The room had been silent, too silent. There hadn’t even been a heartbeat. He swore and rushed back to the door. To even try opening the door, Scott had to push down every instinct he had. His wolf was practically howling at him to stop. _Idiot, this is the Alpha’s territory. He’s going to kill you. We’re going to die, and it’s your fault._

The door was locked, of course it was. He should just turn around. He was just overreacting, and Stiles was probably just in another part of the house. Scott would have left, but he just couldn’t shake the bad feeling he had.

 

“Fuck it.” He muttered and kicked the door in.

 

The resulting crash was loud and had probably just drawn the attention of everyone in the house. Not a second later, Scott heard a booming roar. It had come from Derek’s study on the other side of the house, and he figured he had about thirty seconds before Derek killed him.

 

It didn’t matter, though, because he was right. The second he saw the open window, Scott knew his actions had been justified. Just to confirm his suspicions, he went to the window and inhaled deeply. He could definitely smell Stiles there.

 

Before he could investigate further, there was a crash in the hallway and Scott could hear the pounding footsteps. Scott turned and Derek was on him, pinning him to the wall with a forearm across his throat.

 

Derek was shifted and snarling in his face. Scott took a second to be glad Derek had only shifted to his beta form. He was a lot harder to talk to in his alpha form.

 

“What the fuck are you doing in here?” Derek asked, furious. Derek’s hold was cutting off his oxygen supply, so Scott couldn’t reply.

 

Derek’s head snapped up and he looked around wildly. “Where’s Stiles? What the hell did you do to him?” He pushed Scott farther into the wall, and Scott whimpered. He couldn’t breathe, and he was honestly worried Derek was going to kill him.

 

Scott closed his eyes and let his body go slack. He couldn’t bare his throat, but he still needed to offer submission. When Derek still didn’t let him go, Scott really started to panic.

 

He’d almost passed out by the time Derek was wrenched off of him. Scott doubled over, coughing. He had no idea who had pulled Derek off of him. He was too busy trying to gulp in breaths to notice.  

 

When Scott could breathe again, he finally looked up. The first thing he noticed was Derek, still snarling and struggling. Jackson, Danny, and Boyd were holding him back. The rest of the betas were hovering just outside the door, obviously not comfortable entering the room. They all looked concerned, except for Peter who was looking on the scene with a look of faint amusement.

 

Scott stood and walked over to where Derek was being held. The last thing he wanted was to challenge Derek’s dominance, so Scott made a show of dropping his eyes to the floor and tilting his head back in submission.  

 

“I didn’t do this.” Scott said earnestly. “I came to check on him, and when I couldn’t hear him, I broke the door down. I think he snuck out.” Derek didn’t stop fighting, and Scott knew he had to prove his loyalty to Derek. As his second, Scott rarely had to make such a show of his submission. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t.

 

He looked at Boyd and Danny and said, voice firm, “Let him go.”

 

They didn’t think it was a good idea. Scott could see that much plastered across their faces. Still, he outranked them, and they complied after only a moment. Jackson though, he just kept his hold on Derek. Scott looked to him imploringly. “Please, Jackson, just let him go.”

 

Jackson considered his request for a moment before grunting, “It’s your funeral,” and releasing his grip on Derek.

 

As soon as Jackson let him go, Derek descended upon Scott, snarling. Scott just closed his eyes and stood stock still. They had been working towards this moment since Derek appointed Scott as his second. Scott never thought he’d get to the point where he trusted Derek like this, but there they were. He was literally putting his life in Derek’s hands.

 

The lack of action seemed to give Derek pause. He was hovering above Scott, looking conflicted. Scott let his eyes fall shut and waited. He was practically shaking by the time Derek finally moved. If he were being perfectly honest, Scott had expected Derek’s fangs at his throat. Instead, Scott felt Derek put his hand on his neck, and he sagged in relief; Derek had accepted his submission.

 

Derek shifted back, and Scott didn’t have to wait long before Derek offered a hand to help him up. He took it gratefully, and pulled himself up.

 

Derek turned to the others and growled, “Out.” Once everyone was gone, he met Scott’s gaze and cuffed him on the back of the neck. It was a brotherly gesture that helped to reassure Scott. “I’m sorry.” Derek said in a low voice before pulling away.

 

Scott shook his head. “I shouldn’t have been in here. I knew what I was getting myself into.”

 

Derek sighed, visibly deflating. “This is the place where Stiles and I let our guards down, let ourselves be vulnerable. I just couldn’t stand the thought of someone in here alone with Stiles. Then when I realized he wasn’t here—” He broke off, voice unsteady.

 

To be honest, Scott felt kind of bad for him. With everything going on, Derek was obviously stressed. Clearly he wasn’t handling it well.

 

Derek swallowed and walked over to the window. “You said you think he snuck out?” He took a deep breath and looked back to Scott. “I really hope you’re right.”

 

Scott nodded. “There weren’t any signs of struggle before you came in here. There also weren’t any other scents in the room.”

 

Derek looked relieved at that. “Thanks, Scott. I-” He hesitated for a moment before adding, “I know I haven’t actually said it before, but we’ve come a long way. I’m glad we’re friends.”

 

Scott raised an eyebrow, surprised. “You consider me a friend.”

 

Derek nodded. “Yes. You’re my second.” He said it like it was that simple.  

 

Scott supposed it was. At the very least, it meant that they trusted each other. They’d just proved that. Maybe they really were friends.

 

Scott cleared his throat. “Well then. As your friend, I feel it’s my duty to tell you that you’ve been a complete tool.”

 

Derek’s eyebrows went up, but he didn’t comment.

 

“I’m serious, Derek. You’ve been a total asshole.” He probably could have put that more tactfully, but he didn’t care. He was on a roll. “And you’ve been the worst to Stiles. Like, you should seriously cut him a break, man.”

 

Derek turned away, running his hands through his hair. “You think I don’t know that?” Derek asked, growling. “I know exactly how I’ve been.”

 

Scott frowned, confused. “Dude, why are you still acting like that then?”

 

“It’s not that simple.” Derek said through a clenched jaw. “I’ve been avoiding him for that exact reason. I can’t even look at him without feeling guilty and then I just—” He broke off with a frustrated gesture.

 

Scott smirked and suggested, “Act like a prick?”

 

Derek rolled his eyes but didn’t refute the point.  

 

“Look, man. Obviously I’m not an expert on this or anything, but don’t you think ignoring him is worse? I mean that’s got to suck, especially for an Omega.” Omegas really were tactile, and starving them of touch was considered a form of abuse. Scott knew for a fact that Stiles had been getting in on puppy piles with the betas, so it wasn’t that bad.

 

Derek’s eyes widened and a guilty look passed across his face. “I didn’t think—” He trailed off, looking guilty.

 

Scott heaved a sigh. “You were trying to punish yourself, weren’t you?” Derek didn’t reply, but he didn’t need to; Scott was onto him. “Dude, that’s stupid. You need to go find him and fix it.”

 

“It’s not that simple.” Derek said again, sounding exasperated.

 

Scott grinned. “Sure it is. You go to him and tell him you’re an idiot. Tell him that you were so caught up with your man-pain, you didn’t realize what an ass you were being.”

 

Derek scowled. “I need to go find Stiles. He’s okay now, but he’s probably getting himself into trouble.”

 

Scott raised an eyebrow and asked, “How do you know that?"

 

Derek shrugged. “Mating bond, pack bond. Take your pick. I can sense his wellbeing through either one. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go track him down. Let’s hope I’m the only one following his scent trail.”

 

Scott took a second to think about where Stiles might have gone. He was new to the area, so it was actually likely that Stiles was wondering aimlessly. He remembered how excited Stiles had been that afternoon. Had they not run into Allison, Stiles would have been content to stay in town all day.

 

Scott shook his head. “I wouldn’t bother. The car would be a lot faster, and I’m pretty sure I know where he is.”

 

*

 

 

 “As long as I can remember, I’ve been taught to hate werewolves.” Allison tucked her hair behind her ears nervously as she spoke. “When I was little they used fear. Every fairy tale, campfire story, and cautionary tale is about werewolves.” She snorted before adding, “The monster under my bed was an Alpha who wanted to tear my throat out.”

 

Stiles grimaced. “I don’t know what century you’re living in, but we’re not in the habit of walking around in our fur, savaging people.”

 

Allison nodded earnestly. “Yes. I know that now, but you have to understand. When people control everything you’ve learned growing up, it’s hard not to think like they do.” She took a sip of coffee and continued, “When you get older they use your desire to do good too. They teach you how to fight. They tell you that you can do anything.”

 

Stiles snorted. “Yeah, just your friendly neighborhood killing machine.”

 

Allison exhaled quickly. “That’s just it though. When you’re a kid they teach you who the bad guys are. When you’re older, they tell you that you’re the hero in the story. My aunt Kate used to be my idol. And she would talk about what a great hunter I’d make some day. She’d say I was the strongest, the best. They’ve been twisting my mind since I was a baby. I didn’t know better.”

 

As Stiles listened to her story, his brain reeled with effort to connect what he already knew with what Allison was saying. The problem was that he didn’t know if he could trust her story. Stiles wanted so badly to sympathise with her, but he didn’t know if it was the truth. Sure her heartbeat was steady, but she wouldn’t be the first hunter to learn how to lie to a werewolf. He shook himself and tuned back into her story.

 

Allison blushed and smiled when she explained how she’d met Scott and fallen in love. “It was like everything I knew about the world was suddenly wrong. How could a beautiful boy with floppy hair and a crooked jaw be a savage beast? Scott was the kindest, most amazing person I’ve ever met. And he is a person. Sure he’s a wolf too but he’s just-” She trailed off, looking increasingly distraught.

 

“A person? Just like everyone else?” Stiles supplied for her.

 

Allison nodded somberly and continued. “After my mom was killed in the war, everything changed. They took my grief, and mourning, _and anger,_ and they twist it into something unrecognizable. My aunt, Kate and my grandfather, Gerard used my emotions to make me more compliant.” Her face hardened and she spat out her words, “My mother was dead and they turned it into a fucking _opportunity_.”

      

Stiles felt a sympathetic pang of guilt. His mother had been killed by hunters. If he’d had someone whispering in his ear, he too might have gone off the deep end. He didn’t mention this, though. Instead he just asked, “And? What happened next? How did you get from having a dead mother, to your Aunt burning eleven people alive?

 

She winced but continued, voice subdued. “I told you they made me more compliant. When I finally admitted to seeing Scott, they used that too. They told me he had tricked me to get at my family. That I’d fallen for a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”

 

Unable to stop himself, Stiles asked, “And what? That was enough for you to condemn Scott? For you to let them try and kill him” He dug blunt fingernails in his thigh. Just the idea made him furious.  

 

Allison looked up, eyes wide, and immediately shook her head. “No, no. I never thought—they promised they weren’t going to hurt him.” She bit her lip and added weakly, “He hadn’t broken the code; there was no reason to go after him.”

 

It sounded like the idea of Scott being hurt upset her too. That was a point in her favor at least. Still, if she hadn’t have sold Scott out, Derek never would have had to save him. If Derek hadn’t hurt that hunter to protect Scott, Kate never would have burned down the Hale house. Then again, that may have been her plan the whole time.

 

“And the fire?” He asked bitterly. “You didn’t have any problem with burning an entire family alive?”

 

She shook her head and pleaded, “No, no. I had no idea what she was planning. I was sent away right after, and I didn’t even know Kate was the one who set it.

 

Stiles narrowed his eyes. “You said we needed your help. Why would you go against your own kind to help us?”

 

Allison let out a shuddering breath. “There were kids in that fire, and I—” Her voice broke, and Stiles didn’t miss the tears in her eyes. It took her a moment to speak, but her voice was steady when she did. “The older I got, the more I started seeing Kate and Gerard’s manipulation for what it was. I started questioning everything that had happened since my mom died. That’s how I learned about your mate’s family. I stole my Aunt’s journals, and I found out she’d been planning that fire for months.”

 

“Months?” Stiles asked breathlessly. If Kate had been planning the fire all along, then it wasn’t Derek’s fault. Kate had told Derek she killed his family because it was he was the reason her fiancé was dead. If Allison was telling the truth, Derek’s been carrying around misplaced guilt for years.

 

Allison nodded solemnly.  “The only reason she hadn’t done it before was because she didn’t know how to get into the house.” She covered her face with her hands, and Stiles realized she was shaking.

 

He didn’t know what possessed him to do it, but he leaned across the table and settled a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, no, it’s okay. You said you weren’t involved in the fire. It’s not your fault.”

 

“No!” She cried, looking up. “You don’t understand. I told her _everything_ about Scott. That included where we used to meet up, in the basement of the Hale house. It’s how she—” She broke off and there were tears streaming down her face.

 

Stiles was speechless. He could only tighten his grip on her shoulder reassuringly.

 

“I thought I could trust her.” Allison whispered furiously. “She was like my _sister_. I never dreamed she was capable of something like that.” She took a deep breath. “All those people are dead because of me. I couldn’t stop it then, but I think I can now. I’m not going to sit by and let innocent people get hurt again.”

 

Stiles leaned forward and looked at her seriously. “What do you mean _innocent people_? What’s going on?”

 

Allison met his gaze and her expression was grave. “It’s what I want to help you with. Gerard is planning something, and if it goes according to plan, your pack is going to be in serious danger.”

 

Stiles shook his head, confused. He was about to speak when he heard the roar of an engine. Stiles looked out the window and immediately recognized the black Camaro.

 

He turned back to Allison, panicked. “Shit, that’s Derek. It won’t take him long to track down my scent, so we need to hurry. “What are you talking about? What is Gerard planning?”

 

Allison’s eyes were wide when she turned back to him. “He’s going to offer to team up and help you with your rogue Alpha. You can’t let Alpha Hale do it; it’s a trap. Gerard is going to kill anyone that shows up.”

 

Stiles frowned and shook his head. “Derek would never agree to that. Your family are literally the last people on earth he would trust.”

 

Allison looked out the window, eyes wide. Stiles could see Derek across the street, and knew the moment Derek caught his scent. He snapped his fingers in front of her face to get her attention. It was pretty rude, but he didn’t have the time to feel bad about it.

 

She looked back to Stiles and cleared her throat. “He’s going to give you an ultimatum. If your pack doesn’t join up with him, he’s going to treat Derek as if he were the killer. He’ll make up evidence if he has too. He’ll find a reason to kill your mate. I know it sounds bad, but you’re just going to have to deal with that if it comes to it. Whatever you do, you can’t let Derek agree to team up with Gerard.”

 

Stiles didn’t get a chance to respond. As soon as she finished speaking, the door opened and Derek was striding in.

 

The room went silent and everyone’s eyes were on Derek.  Not everyone would recognize him as Alpha, but that didn’t matter. Not even humans could ignore the power that radiated from him. Not to mention the fact that he was gorgeous. Stiles couldn’t blame people for staring. Still, if he caused any more scenes, they were probably going to kick Stiles out.

 

Derek’s eyes fell to Stiles and Allison, and his expression turned thunderous. Stiles followed Derek’s gaze and saw that his hand was still on Allison’s shoulder. He dropped it immediately and pushed his chair back.

 

Derek was on him in seconds, putting himself between them. “What do you think you’re doing?” He snarled at Allison.

 

Stiles didn’t know what to do. They were in public, and he really wasn’t supposed to undermine Derek in front of people. Sure, it was his job to advise Derek and to stop him from making rash decisions, but that was behind closed doors. When dealing with people who weren’t pack, they were expected to put up a united front.

 

“Derek, stop.” He hissed, screw the rules, Stiles wasn’t about to let Derek punish Allison for wanting to help them. This was for the good of the pack. Plus it felt really good to stand up to Derek like that.

 

Derek’s shoulders tensed, but he didn’t move. Stiles figured he was probably glaring daggers at Allison.

 

“Derek, come on. Let’s just go home” Stiles wasn’t going to lie, he put an edge of need in to his voice. Derek’s instincts wouldn’t be able to ignore it. If it meant getting them out of there with no bloodshed, Stiles would play dirty. He would even use his pheromones if it came to that.  

 

It turned out he didn’t have to. A moment later, Derek turned around and wrapped a protective arm around Stiles’ waist. Stiles managed to give Allison an apologetic look before getting ushered out of the café.

 

Derek was silent as he led them to the car. He didn’t speak until they were halfway to the house. “A hunter, Stiles? You were having coffee with a hunter? It’s a damn good thing Scott new you’d be in town because I never would have dreamed you’d do something this stupid.” Derek’s knuckles were white on the steering wheel.

 

Stiles shrugged petulantly. “It’s not like I planned it. I just needed to get out of the house. She found me, not the other way around.”

 

Derek’s jaw ticked and he grit out, “That’s exactly what I mean. This is the girl that betrayed Scott and almost got him killed. She’s manipulative, Stiles.”

 

Stiles opened his mouth to refute the point but snapped it shut instead. Derek wasn’t going to listen to him when he was worked up like this. “Look, can we not do this now? Let’s at least wait until we’re at home.”

 

Derek didn’t look pleased, but he didn’t press the subject either.

 

They finished the drive in silence, and Stiles was out of the car as soon as they were in front of the house. He ignored everyone on the way to his bedroom. He didn’t want to talk to anyone or have to explain himself.

 

Stiles walked through the broken door and abruptly stopped. The room was a disaster, and he could smell other people in there. He swallowed nervously. Just the thought of someone else in his and Derek’s bedroom made him uneasy. Stiles would be panicking, but he could tell the scents were pack. Despite his nervousness, he couldn’t help but be curious about what had happened.

 

Stiles heard the footsteps behind him, and he braced himself for the inevitable tirade. When the harsh words didn’t come, Stiles turned. He barely registered Derek’s movement before he was wrapped in a tight embrace.

 

Stiles stood stiffly in Derek’s hold. He definitely hadn’t expected this. Derek was holding him like he might disappear at any second. Maybe he really thought that. After all, Stiles had left.

 

Part of Stiles wanted to push Derek away, to punish him for the way he’d been acting. A bigger part wanted to melt into the hug though, so that was exactly what he did. Stiles dropped his head to Derek’s shoulder and just clung to him.

 

An indeterminate amount of time later, Derek finally pulled away. Stiles forced himself to meet Derek’s gaze, and had to swallow past a lump in his throat when he saw Derek’s expression.

 

Derek face was a mess of emotion, and his voice was rough when he spoke. “You can’t do that again. Stiles, do you understand me? You could’ve—” he broke off and looked away. “There are people who want to take you away from me, and I can’t lose you.”

 

Stiles didn’t know what to say. All he’d really wanted was proof that Derek still cared, had ever cared. In the aftermath of Derek’s words, Stiles felt childish and petty for leaving. Derek looked broken, and that was Stiles’ fault.

 

Suddenly, he knew words wouldn’t be enough. Stiles always used words, and they so rarely meant anything. He needed to show Derek that he wouldn’t leave again.

 

Taking Derek’s hand in his, he made his way over to their bed. When they reached it, Stiles dropped Derek’s hand. He immediately started stripping. There wasn’t anything sexual about it, just the perfunctory removal of clothing. He just needed to touch Derek, and he craved the closeness that skin on skin contact would bring.

 

As soon as he was naked, Stiles crawled into the bed and lifted the quilt invitingly. Somewhere along the way, Derek had apparently gotten with the program and stripped too. He finished pulling off his underwear and slid in next to Stiles. Neither of them spoke, but the silence was surprisingly comfortable.

 

A moment later, Derek pulled Stiles against him, arms wrapped tight around him. Stiles dropped his head to Derek’s chest and held Derek right back. They clung to each other, reveling in the contact. The unease in Stiles’ stomach that had building up for weeks began to dissipate. Derek’s touch was soothing worries he hadn’t even realized he had.

 

The reality of their situation was starting to crash down on Stiles, and it terrified him. Stiles’ heartbeat must have betrayed him because Derek’s arms tightened around him and he was making a low rumbling sound deep in his chest. The sound called to Stiles on an instinctual level, and he calmed.

 

Tomorrow Stiles would tell Derek about Allison. He’d explain about Gerard’s plan, and they would decide what to do. Whatever they decided, Stiles knew he and Derek needed to work together. He wasn’t going to let Derek shut him out anymore. They were a mated pair, and they were going to start acting like it. Good mates played to each other’s strengths and made up for each other’s weaknesses. If he and Derek could manage that, they might actually get through the next week alive.

 

Stiles had to worry about that tomorrow. For now, he was with Derek. He was safe, and he wasn’t going anywhere. He kept repeating that in his head as he drifted off to sleep, Derek, comforting and warm next to him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the support! Please leave feedback in the comments.   
> <3 Airla


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